Lessons From the Storm

This is what our home looked like after Katrina.

You are able to see the water (the Gulf) at the end of our street.

Every house on our street was destroyed. The next day, looters came in and stole the bricks!

I'm a teacher. An English teacher. One thing I've learned over the years is that some students have a problem with the "state of being" verbs. Some of my students had a horrible habit of saying things like, "I be going to the gym ." Many of my students today are just learning to speak English. They have a tendency to say things like, "I tired" or "I no understand". The problem with both examples is the misuse of the verb "to be".

I had the same problem, spiritually speaking. In the days and weeks and months after Katrina, God had to teach me about His "state of being" name! When God was asked by Moses in Exodus 3 what His name was, God replied "I AM". And in the New Testament, when Jesus was speaking to a group of Jewish theologians He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" and He almost got killed by the men He was talking to...in their minds, Jesus was being blasphemous!

So what was the big lesson? I needed to learn that God had within Himself all the answers to my problems. I had to be reminded that He is self-sufficient and doesn't need a thing. I had to be reminded over and over that because He was my Shepherd, I had more than enough. You see, after the storm, we had no place to go...and we were just one family out of thousands of families. There weren't restaurants to get meals or grocery stores open to buy food. We only had one change of clothing for each of us, and no way to wash our clothes. No place to take a shower. Everything was at a standstill and we had to rely on outsiders getting down to the Coast to bring us water, food and clothing. It took a few days, but slowly supply trucks made their way down to us. Friends from church opened their home to us. But the places we thought could help us wouldn't...or couldn't. Our insurance company told us we were not covered for our loss. FEMA was a laugh. Everytime we waited patiently in the hot sun for hours to talk to a representative, they took our information, only to botch everything up! Our help didn't come from the government. Our help came from the Lord! Our help came from the great "I AM"!!!

We always have to add something to the phrase "I am". We have to say, "I am hungry", or "I am tired", but God alone can say, "I AM" period!!! He really was more than enough to meet all of our needs. And He didn't just meet them, He met them in a way that was "Far above all that we could hope for or imagine"! He shook the storehouse of heaven and caused our cup to overflow!

Remembering Katrina

It's hard for me to believe, but it has been three years since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Our family lived a block from the beach in a little town called Ocean Springs, Mississippi. When we heard that we were in the path of the storm we evacuated to our son's home, about two hours north of the coast. Little did we know when we left our home on that beautiful Sunday morning that the path of our lives was about to change forever. It took many days before we found out what happened to our home and our neighborhood, but finally our daughter received a text message on her phone from a neighborhood friend. "I'm sorry, Elise, but your home is gone. Nothing is left." Those eleven words hit us hard that day, and the effects of those words are still being felt by each of us today. When we were finally able to return to our home, we were filmed by a tv crew for the news in Holland. My husband's nephew works for one of the stations over there and he asked if they could capture our reactions to the devastation. Here is the broadcast as it appeared on Dutch tv: http://www.tweevandaag.com/index.php?module=PX_Story&func=view&cid=2&sid=29839
One year later they did a followup report to see how we were fairing after the storm and what type of progress had been made. The report is called, "Eén jaar na Katrina" and can be viewed at http://www.eenvandaag.nl
It was a horrible loss and one that affected our family deeply, but we were upheld by our faithful Savior every step of the way. The bottom line is that GOD IS GOOD and His goodness has nothing to do with the circumstances we go through. The quotes on the side of this blog are ones that helped me through some of the dark days. And Psalm 23 came alive for me. Many mornings, before my feet even hit the floor, I had to pray, "God, You are my Shepherd and You are more than enough to meet my needs."
Tonight we are keeping a close eye on this new storm brewing in the Gulf, and we are praying that God enables all of us that may have to evacuate His wisdom and mercy and grace.
And one more thing, this song has brought healing to my heart. I hope you enjoy it and that the lyrics will bring you comfort if you are found in one of life's "storms".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw

The Lord is My Shepherd

Today begins the sharing of some of the events in my life that led me to writing this blog. I want to start with one of my favorite You Tube videos. I hope you take a moment and watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3buLQoCN6KY
Isn't she precious? I remember memorizing this Psalm when I was four years old. That means I've known this Psalm for fifty years! This Blog is going to be about my walk with the Shepherd and the ways I've had to learn to apply this Psalm to my life. For example, just recently I hit a rough patch. I won't go into all the ugly details 'cause believe me, it's not such a pretty picture. But what I will share is that I spiraled into a pretty lonely place. I have this great imagination, and so often I can just picture myself as a sheep. There I am, off the beaten trail, by myself, while the rest of my sheep buddies are contentedly munching away on the green pastures. I can see the Shepherd, with His hands on His hips, saying to Himself, "Now what in the world does she think she is doing! How many times have I told her to stay with the group? But NO!! Not this one! She ALWAYS thinks her plan is better!" Yup, that would be me. Always going off, fouling up, and gently being guided back into the pack. But through it all, I'm so thankful that I can say it, know it, and mean it, "The Lord IS my Shepherd"!!!! Everyday this week I'm going to write about these four words: Lord,is, my, and Shepherd. I'm looking forward to sharing with you all!!

Yikes!!! What In The World Am I Doing?

Okay, I admit it. I snuck into my big sister's room when I was 7 (and 10, and 15, and 17...) and read her diary. This deviant behavior has sent me on a quest to peer into other's lives, to read about their experiences and live, I guess, vicariously through their escapades and adventures. That's why I enjoy reading the Blogs of others...I love to read the thoughts they openly share, but I also like to savor their writing style, their choice of words, and their syntax. That's the English teacher side of me. Anyway, after years of reading the Blogs of others, I'm going to hold my breath and take a giant plunge into the pool of "Bloggerdom"...much like Meryl Streep did in the movie Mama Mia when she makes a gigantic cannonball leap into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Until today, fear has been the unseen force that has held me back. I've always longed to do something like this...just sort of throw my words out there and journal about my daily minutia. I can't tell you how many people have heard my life's stories and said, "You should write a book!" But fear always constrained me; I mean, what if people knew that I was an English teacher and then saw that I ended my sentences with prepositions, misused punctuation, or misspelled most words???!!!
Well, you know what? Today I have come to the conclusion that I just don't care anymore. I mean, it's not as if there is some anonymous Gramminator reading to jump on every post I submit and correct my blunders with a giant red pen! God's word says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power..." 2Timothy 1:7 So fasten your seat belts and hang on to your wigs, "cause I'm jumping in...