"Corcovado parted the sky..."

In recognition of Christ the Redeemer, one of the newly designated "Seven Wonders of the World" I offer this double shot from Ben Harper's Diamonds on the Inside.

+ Ben Harper — Blessed to Be A Witness.mp3
+ Ben Harper — Picture of Jesus.mp3

Praising God for...

old friends.

A good friend of mine recently came to town. As a self-proclaimed 'country mouse', it's rare that he makes it down the winding mountain roads to visit us 'city mice' but that's exactly what he did.

There's nothing like old friends, good food, and good conversation to keep oneself grounded.

The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.

—Proverbs 14:20

Praising God for...

unexpected help from a neighbor.

Today, as I was working in the 90+ degree heat, my neighbor offered his riding mower for me to use. This greatly sped up my yardwork, and I was thankful to finish much more quickly.

Thank you, Lord. You knew exactly what I needed today.

Praising God For...

child-like faith.

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

—Matthew 18:3

Praising God for...

Praising God for:
second
(and third) chances.

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

—Isaiah 1:18

Praising God for...

...the companionship of pets.
Anyone who's ever owned (and I use that verb loosely) a cat has seen evidence of God's sense of humour.

Praising God for...

unashamed Christian atheletes.

The 2005-2006 NHL season ended in my backyard last night, with the Carolina Hurricanes pulling out all the stops in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Two of the 'Canes have made it very public where they stand with their faith. At left is Glen Wesley, a fine defensemen, who, with 18 years in the league, had the distinction of being the player who had appeared in the most post-season games without winning the Stanley Cup title— that is, until last night.

"When you look at an injury, a setback or anything else comes your way, you have to look to the truth," says Wesley. "For me, that's going into God's word."

The goalie for the Canes, 22 y.o. Cam Ward is also an ambassador for Christ. He sports a small cross on the back of each helmet, and he's quoted as saying: "Before every game I will pray just before I go on the ice."

Now I'm not claiming that God is a Caniac or even if He even cares about the outcome of such a game. Certainly there's more to life than 60 minutes of ice hockey, but these 2 men are good at what they do, and because of their God-given abilities, they are in a position where they can witness to others by their example and their lives on display for others.

for further reading, here is the source article:
PERSONAL FAITH LEADS TO 'GREAT RIDE' FOR HURRICANES PLAYERS.

40 days...

of praise. Danielle over at Unfailing Love has challenged her readers to return praises to God. This verse came to me by way of an email devotional for this very day:

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." (Psalm 90:14)

How cool is that, Danielle? I'm thankful God's love is unfailing.

Unfailing love— now that's a reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Thank you for your challenge Danielle.

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Them's Got Ears Let Them Hear*

A few years back, as part of a massive, CD mix exchange, I cobbled together a collection of religious songs and sent them literally around the world. Some of the artists might be familiar, and others not so, but the common thread that runs through these songs is steeped in old-time religion. I thought I'd dust it off and offer it up to anyone who might care to listen. It's a perfect companion piece to a Sunday morning. Enjoy.


01. Wilco - Airline to Heaven
02. Southern Culture on the Skids - The Great Atomic Power
03. Uncle Tupelo - No Depression
04. Hayseed - God-Shaped Hole
05. Billy Bragg & Wilco - Blood of the Lamb
06. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - I Saw the Light
07. The Louvin Bros. - The Family Who Prays
08. Johnny Cash - Redemption
09. Billy Bragg & Wilco - Christ for President
10. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band w. Maybelle Carter - Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
11. Hayseed w. Lucinda Williams - Precious Memories
12. Kenny Roby - Tidal Wave
13. The Byrds - I Am A Pilgrim
14. Johnny Cash - Where You There?
15. Thad Cockrell - He Set Me Free (live)
16. Robert Sean Leonard - Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling

*Matthew 11:15

"Mangering My Christmas"

Today's message at Hope Church was meant for me. I have found myself devoid of Christmas spirit this year, and to be truthful, the past few years have equally found me deficient. I'm not quite sure where this comes from. It could be that for the past four years, I've found myself single at this time of year and without someone to share the holidays with...

But that's not the reason behind this post. There was a drama segment at church that put things in perspective for me. I'll attempt to describe the simple skit.

There was an exhausted couple, laden with shopping bags, who happened upon a park bench and sat down to rest. They talked about how busy they were and how they were dreading the coming visit from in-laws and were looking forward to the day after Christmas when it was all going to be over. Out of nowhere, a homeless woman pushing a shopping cart stops by the bench they are sitting on. She is excited about having 'guests' over, and tells them that this park bench is where she sleeps and as they are awkwardly trying to get up and let her have it, she insists they stay a while.

The woman's name is Irene, and after talking to the couple a few minutes, she picks up on the fact that they are lacking in the Christmas spirit and she proceeds to tell them exactly what their problem is. She told them that they weren't doing a good job 'mangering' their Christmas. The gentleman says, "I think you mean managing" but Irene corrects him, "No, I meant 'mangering.' " Curious to know, the couple asks Irene what exactly it is that's wrong with them. Irene tells them: "You're Innkeepers." Seeing their puzzled expressions, Irene explains to them that while they're so busy wrapped up in the other trappings of Christmas: shopping, office parties, entertaining friends and relatives, they are keeping the baby in the manger out back. By doing so, they're missing the whole point of Christmas.

Irene then invites them to kneel on the ground and peer into an imaginary manger. She tells them to imagine seeing the baby Jesus lying there in his swaddling clothes. Only then, will one be able to put Christmas in the proper perspective. The couple does so, and after this brief encounter, leave the park with a renewed outlook on the Christmas season. By physically laying their packages down, and focusing on Christ, they've re-centered their minds on just what is important.

Perhaps someone reading this might find themself burdened with all the trappings of Christmas and the secular grip of the holiday season has them in a firm hold. Lay all those packages down and take a moment to really ask yourself: "What is Christmas all about, anyhow?" The answer is really quite simple.

Hope

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast."

--Alexander Pope
An Essay on Man, Epistle I, 1733

I'm certain that hope is not a human invention. It's planted within, by our Maker. People, however, are often used as vessels of hope. As human beings, we give others hope with encouraging words, with acts of service, and by witnessing to them about our own source of hope. For the Christian, that hope is found in the person of Jesus Christ.

So A. Pope was right in a sense. Hope does spring eternal, because Christ is eternal. As Christ as my source of hope, I know that I'll never run out of the stuff. This week, I've found myself calling out to God more. Asking for direction, guidance, and wisdom. Asking for forgiveness, and healing. And asking for a really healthy dose of hope. Hope isn't a thing with feathers, as Emily Dickinson describes. If it were, that bird would have long pecked its way out of my soul and flown away. And that's just not true--I have hope. It still wells within me.

Fall Cleaning

Hebrews 12:1

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

God has been at work in me this past week. The Holy Spirit brought this verse to my mind last night as I was preparing my BSF study. It wasn't in the notes to read, but oftentimes the Word is called the "Living Word" as it is fresh and pertinent to any Believer who earnestly seeks God at His Word. I've done some 'casting off' of my own this week. It felt unbelievably good to rid myself and my home of junk I should have thrown out long ago.

I'm thankful for God's patience in my development. In our study this week, I came to understand more of the LORD's patience when it comes to mankind. And I learned, too, that although He is immeasurably more patient than we, His patience does have its limits. See Genesis 6 for evidence of that.

Tabula Rasa, or "What a little 'Faith' can do."

Now that my Beloved is back on American soil, it was time for a little drive to Wilmington to visit with her family and since the last time we were down... that number has increased by one!

A precious newborn "Faith" was born to her brother and sister-in-law almost 4 weeks ago, as L. and I were flying to Austin. (My, how that seems so long ago!) Further traveling prevented us from going down sooner, but I was elated to be with L. as we both got to hold this precious bundle and witness the tiny miracle before us.

As I was holding Faith, it struck me that I held in my hands a bottomless well of potential. We all enter this world with the same Tabula Rasa, or "blank slate." She can become anything, accomplish anything, and achieve further dreams than any one of us alive today. After all, that's what every parent dreams for their child.

She is, of course, a beautiful baby. I told the new parents in a matter-of-fact way: "You make beautiful babies." I look forward to seeing her grow up and hearing and seeing all the milestones along the way.

What can a little Faith do? The answer is simple: Anything.

"Blessed to Be a Witness"

I often have songs in my head it seems. This song, by Ben Harper happens to choke me up every time I hear it. Corcovado, incidentally, is the name of the mountain upon which "Christ the Redeemer" stands in Rio de Janeiro.

"Blessed To Be A Witness"
Written by: Ben Harper

corcovado parted the sky
and through the darkness
on us he shined
crucified in stone
still his blood is my own
glory behold all my eyes have seen

i am blessed to be a witness

some have flown away
and can't be with us here today
like the hills of my home
some have crumbled and now are gone
gather around for today won't come again

i am blessed to be a witness

so much sorrow and pain
still i will not live in vain
like good questions never asked
is wisdom wasted on the past
only by the grace of God go i

i am blessed to be a witness

"Forgive us our Debts..."

Abiding Thoughts: The Lord's Prayer

This is an insightful devotional on the Lord's Prayer in
Matthew 6:9-15 by a missionary pastor in Brazil.

Day Five-- Kiln, Mississippi

Final Day
Back at work on the S's 2,800 square foot home... More work than we'd originally thought. Marty and Sissy grunted alongside us, as well as Devin and Denae. Devin is becoming a master at backing the ATV trailer, at just 10 years old. We've seen him improve in just 24 hrs. The work never seemed to stop, but our attitudes were pretty good considering the enormity of the task.

Marty and Sissy insisted that they prepare our lunch today instead of us bringing our usual sack lunch. They cooked ribeyes on the grill, and rounded out the meal with stuffed baked potatoes and beans. After such a lunch, it was tough to get back to work. We all were sluggish and slow to get up, but the fellowship was sweet. I actually ate with the family at their table, which was, looking back, the place I wanted to be. We talked fishing and about cooking fish, and football. Bret Favre's hometown is Kiln, it turns out. The little boy, Devin has visited the Favre home in Hattiesburg, MS--he's a Packers fan, naturally.

The job didn't get completely wrapped up, but much progress was made. It was sad to leave this family, but the work we did will not soon be forgotten, I'm sure.

Something was said tonight during our reflection time after dinner that really rang true to my spirit. My take-home message for the week:

"It's not about the house.
It's about the relationships we build."

These families will no doubt go on to rebuild, and the work we've accomplished is a grand start to that process, but my prayers are that these folks will remember our presence and desire to follow Christ in their lives simply because of seeds we may have planted.

The evening meal was actually a field trip of sorts. The four of us men, plus one woman, wanted to have some real cajun food, so we went up the road a bit to the Cajun Connection. A shrimp Po-Boy filled me up. After all, I hadn't come fourteen hours to have pizza.

To my surprise and joy, L. called me from Australia on her aunt's satellite phone. It was an iffy connection on the phone, but oh, so wonderful to hear the voice of my beloved girl. I wish I could kiss her right now, but I know the next week will pass and we'll be on the same time zone soon.

Goodnight and Goodbye, Kiln, MS. You shall not be forgotten.

Day Four-- Kiln, Mississippi

Our group took a drive before beginning our day today. We went to the Bay St. Louis bridge which was taken away by Katrina. Great pylons still dot the waters, and it was awesome and humbling to see what devastation a single storm had wrought. We stood there as a group, in a circle, and prayed fervently for the day's events and for the other groups as well.

"Bay St. Louis Bridge" photo by Steve Humberg
We were back at George's to wrap up the lower level of his home. On the way, we had all signed a new family Bible to present to them. In my inscription, I wrote a scripture reference to Isaiah 40:31. They were both so thankful and genuinely moved to have our team work on their home, and were very emotional as we said our goodbyes. We invited them to eat some bonafide gumbo at the church with us tonight and they said they would come if they could.

Our next assignment for the day brought us to the home of Marty and Sissy S. Their home suffered 9 1/2 feet of floodwater damage, which naturally destroyed everything in their home. Their two children Devin and Denae jumped right in and started helping us clean up the debris. At one point, I was even driving a four-wheeler with a trailer, hauling away sheet rock and debris.

The team worked incredibly hard today, and Sissy cooked hotdogs for the crew. While talking to Marty, we found out that he had played high school football with none other than Bret Favre. Apparently Favre really stunk up his last high school game-- the legendary NFL QB threw five interceptions. They lost 28-6.

George did make it for dinner tonight. He once again entertained us with his stories and infectious smile. I talked alot about being in love with my "Cajun Girl" and he just et it up. I'm going to miss working with George. Becky was away caring for her ailing mother who has Alzheimer's and sadly, couldn't make it.

The destruction in this area is still shocking, even here on day four. Cars are parked in random locations. Not 'parked' per se, but rather floated by the flood to their final resting places in the mud. While relieving myself in the woods today, I noticed a smattering of plastic objects in the unlikeliest of places, strewn about the forest floor by the water. It'll take years for things to ever resemble normalcy. Reminders will always be there if one looks hard enough, high in the trees, and under the layers of leaves.

Day Three-- Kiln, Mississippi

I think I worked the hardest day of my life today and have never felt better for doing so. We began work early-- the earliest yet this week. Today's work wasn't nearly as "aromatic" as most of the really nasty stuff was already on the pile, and the mud inside was starting to dry, if only by small degrees.

George arrived less than an hour after we started. His spirits lifted by the presence of a 'Gung-Ho' work force, he got right in there and contributed to the clean-up process. He'd entertain us with his stories and keep me smiling with just one of his grins. The man has a contagious personality that has really grown on me. He's grown on all of us, truth be told. He's affectionately referred to as our "Ragin' Cajun."

Nearing lunch time, the entire team seemed to be collectively running out of steam, myself included. I was thankful when James (our team leader) made the call to break for lunch. Even though it was in excess of 90 degrees, we were still able to take food in, something I haven't always been able to do when exerting so much energy. Tony reflected that we had not opened the day in prayer, and suggested we do so right then and there. So we all joined hands and to my surprise, George joined hands with us while I prayed for strength, focus, safety, and for George and Becky. My prayer for them was that they would know our work wouldn't end when we left, but that we would continue to remember them in our hearts and prayers.

Afterwards, George shook my hand warmly and did one of those half-hugs that men sometimes do where opposite shoulders are brought together, along with a pat on the back. I told him that we loved them both. If I'm not mistaken, the burly man's eyes were moist. I know mine were wet.

Our work continued after lunch, and I'm convinced we were renewed and strengthened from above. There was no mistaking our attitudes were re-aligned and that God was now made the center of our efforts here.

My body aches and longs for rest. I'm going to try and call L. once more before going to bed. I fear they've already pulled away from port and she'll be unreachable for a full week. My hearing from her this morning was such a blessing and a wonderful way to begin the day. I miss her so much, but it will only make it sweeter when we see each other again.

Day Two-- Kiln, Mississippi

The first order of business today involved "housekeeping" chores for the church facility. As Bayou Talla Fellowship has effectively given Samaritan's Purse the 'keys' to the church, it's only fair that we sweep, mop, and clean the place daily as it gets easily soiled in the courseof a day here. Our entire team contributed, in order that we could finish up our first family's house together.

"The Pile" photo by Tony Luparello
note the cross on top
Our second assignment was a home on the shore of the Jordan River. The banks of the river rose rapidly during the hurricane-- I've heard one foot per hour. Even though this house rested on pillars ~7-8 feet off the ground, the rising flood eventually rendered the entire home underwater. In the aftermath, a neighbor in his boat actually ran onto the roof, as the structure was three feet below the water's surface.

The homeowners, George and Becky S. were present the entire time we were there today. George, originally from Lafitte, LA, was high-spirited and eager to begin work. Becky, more reserved at first, began to talk of all that she had lost in the storm. She would ascend the stairs and peer through the kitchen window from time to time watching our team work throwing the entire contents of their 35 years together onto an enormous pile growing in their backyard.

Becky's cat, we'd been told, was missing-- not seen since their evacuation. I discovered this poor creature as I was shoveling in the kitchen. As I went downstairs to break it as gently as I could, the animal was tossed onto the pile.

Becky was understandably distraught. George, armed with a black garbage bag wanted to see his cat and presumably bag it, in order that it might receive a proper burial, but the cat was irretrievable at that point. He simply said: "Let's cover it up."

The mud from the Jordan filled the tiny four-room house. The smell was almost unbearable, as the house had been shut up for five weeks. I wore a respirator (the cheap kind) and even with a dab of Vick's Vapor Rub under my nose, the stench found a way to my nostrils-- triggering the gag reflex more than once. I wasn't the only one struggling with this either. It was positively fetid.

The worldly possessions of George and Becky are now in an enormous pile. The mementos of far-away places were tossed out along with such mundane items as the dirty dishes and cleaning products. All of it--gone.

It is heartbreaking to see these folks struggling. They're survivors, to be sure, but my hope for them is that they'll be conquerors in the days and weeks to come. That they will rebuild their homes and piece their lives back together, and that somehow, they'll see the light of Christ in us.

Day One-- Kiln, Mississippi

* * * The following entries are post-dated, as there was no internet access for me while down in Kiln, MS. These are my journal entries for a Mission Trip I was part of from OCT 02-08, 2005. Hope Community Church in Raleigh, NC, coordinated with Samaritan's Purse to send us to Kiln, MS. * * *

It's hard to describe the devastation we saw firsthand today. As we were driving to our family's home, I noticed a pattern amoung all the trees... everything, and not just the trees, was bent. Power poles, and other manmade spires, if standing, were positively forced over in a weird sense of unison from the mighty winds of Katrina. Everything was pointing away from the coast.

Another thing that stood out in my mind is that no structure was spared. Every building, every home, was affected. Personal belongings were strewn everywhere. It's easy to call such detritus "debris", but the simple fact is that this "debris" was not carelessly thrown out-- it was blown out. Clothes and plastic grocery bags adorn the trees, like some weird sort of Christmas Tree decoration. The multi-colored arrangements will be in place for months, no doubt.

Our family's home is two miles from the coast. Two miles--and the storm surge brought seven feet of crystal clear ocean water into their home--flooding it completely. Nothing was to be saved--nothing. The family had already salvaged what was worth salvaging, the rest was a total loss. The previous team from HOPE began this project last week, but there is still much to do.

It was difficult to see the children's rooms. Well-loved toys were abandoned, along with myriad clothes and shoes. Our job was to clean it completely. Take it back down to the studs, removing all the sheetrock and flooring. The sheetrock in all the rooms had strange patterns of mold all over it. Multi-colored fungi grew on every verticle wall and under the floors as well. It was bizarre.

photo by Tony Luparello
We worked very hard today, and we're going back tomorrow to hopefully wrap this project up. Every muscle in my body aches from use. I know I'll sleep well tonight, provided the ear plugs hold up-- our leader snores. Loudly.

I know God is really at work in this community. The church where Samaritan's Purse is based has opened up their doors to us, effectively handing over the keys. We were told 78% of this county-- Chester County-- is un-churched, but Bayou Talla Fellowship is doing wondrous things for this community and people are showing up here for packed Sunday services.

My body is winding down-- the eyelids are growing heavier and heavier. I should get to bed and re-charge my bones, for tomorrow we do it all again.