Never Give Up!

Psalm 46:1-3 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

Luke 1:37 - For nothing will be impossible with God.

Romans 8:31 - What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Dear God, I am sorry if at times I seem impatient, but it's so hard to wait when other people are trying to stop everything about what you are trying to do because they don't understand or refuse to try to understand. Like with Tom. Instead of doing what he did the way that he did it, he should have talked with me and listened to my side. By him not doing that, he caused further damage and failed to show the grace and forgiveness and love and mercy and compassion and even justice that he had shown before. Over one meltdown at that. A meltdown that he did contribute to. And I ended up ultimately mirroring him. God, I'm reading the book The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida, the Japanese teenager with autism. And I am in tears because I see where Tom has screwed up so much with me, where I wish I could explain things to him and the others, where I wasn't even given the justice I deserve so that I could do just that, and where many others like me will always have difficulties as long as bullies exist at churches, schools, workplaces, and in the world and people who rather than stand up to the bullying end up becoming the bullies instead because they failed to stand against it even they knew it was wrong. Like Tom. God, please open the hearts and the minds of Tom, his church leaders, Birmingham area people, especially pastors, and the people who we need to help us along the journey of life. I wish You would hurry up sometimes though because our human minds cannot stand waiting when it feels like our entire life is depending on Your action. Like I do need the conversation with Tom, and You know that, but it's hard waiting any longer. In Jesus's Name, Amen!

Our God by Chris Tomlin (YouTube)

Water You turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind

There's no one like You, none like You

Into the darkness You shine, out of the ashes we rise

There's no one like You, none like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

Into the darkness You shine, out of the ashes we rise

There's no one like You, none like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other 

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against

What could stand against

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what can stand against

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against

Then what can stand against

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God

Developing a Thankful Heart Whilst in the Midst of Chaos and Confusion

This past Wednesday, volunteers from Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church went to serve a small community in the Ensley area of Birmingham. This area was one of the hard hit areas from the storms and tornadoes of April 27, 2011. Crews went earlier in the day to conduct debris removal and clean up with a later team to feed the community via Westmont Baptist Church. Personally, I was amazed by the turnout of OMPC volunteers as compared with the prior week when we served Moody. It seemed to have doubled, if not tripled!


Let me be honest for a moment though. This is one location in which having print directions and GPS map function on an iPhone did no good. The directions gave names of roads, many of which no signs were present or signs were knocked down by the tornado. The map feature said to turn in a different direction. Following what I instinctively wanted to follow and not being able to get the two to coordinate, I ended up on a very narrow road made all the more narrow by the devastation from those storms. It was bad. Finally after passing the road I needed probably for the third time, I was able to get on the correct road only then to find that mileage does not really mean much on directions either. That area will definitely try one's patience!


So, I've been feeling a little useless and helpless as I can't go out with the debris removal teams and we do tend to have more hands than needed (which is an excellent thing) with the other teams. So I'm now sort of the unofficial photographer. Unofficial in that I am not a professional, I just love taking pictures of, well, everything, so I can capture a lot and stay out of the way and still feel like I'm helping somehow. You know you see a lot from behind the camera. I would say from behind the lens except that most camera phones don't actually have lenses, now do they? I know I certainly do. 


I see pain. These people, these neighbors, these friends, these families, these brothers and sisters, they have real pain right now. So many of them have lost everything. Literally everything. Last year, I felt like I had lost a lot when I was told that I have an immune deficiency that is practically unheard of and has no cure and no treatment. And don't get me wrong, I did lose a lot with that diagnosis, but these people have lost EVERYTHING. I still have a lot to be thankful for. I don't always see it and I don't always feel it, but I do. I have my house. I have my cat and my dog. I have my clothes. I have my collectibles. I have my car. I have my phone. I have my family. I have my friends. I have my church. I have people who love and care for me even when I don't understand their quirks in showing that love and care. But some of these people lost all of that when those storms ripped through. 


I heard on the news a girl from Cullman who said that her church was leveled. But she said all they lost was the church building. She still has her church, the people that go there. In spite of the fact that so many of these people have literally lost so much, I keep hearing the sounds of appreciation and joy and thankfulness. It's overwhelming. If they can be so thankful in the midst of such loss, why is it so hard for me when I still have so much?


It seems as though in the midst of the chaos and confusion, despite the chaos and confusion, there are people who have seen ways to still be thankful. And apparently, I am starting to develop that thankful heart myself as a result. 


Maybe it's true what the group Alabama sings, "...there are angels among us," and maybe those angels are what help us to be thankful in the midst of chaos and confusion.


Another thing I am thankful for right now is that my church has been so responsive to the needs as a result of this disaster in Alabama and has been offering organized ways for people to get involved in the relief efforts through so many different avenues. Because in some ways, doing exactly what we are currently doing, is allowing each and every person to have the opportunity to be a missionary. There are few things that even the youngest and the oldest can't do right now.


To see some of the pictures from this week: http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=12517722006/a=5001910006_5001910006/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/ or http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100199558026185.2592095.27434363&l=ecc7571383


http://www.oakmountainchurch.org/tornado-disaster-relief has a lot of the ways people can get involved. 


For Sunday, the Third Day tornado benefit concert I posted about Monday could still use as many volunteers as they can get. It'll be a great way to have fun listening to some great groups and help at the same time. And to exercise a thankful heart!