These are times that are trying many souls

Over the course of the past year or so, we have witnessed catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and Japan.  We have seen a tsunami suddenly kill thousands of people and cause turmoil and anxiety even unto this present hour due to the problems at a nuclear power plant in Japan.  We have seen volcanoes erupt in Iceland and ice storms in places that rarely see them.  Through it all, the United States of America was basically unscathed.

Over the past few weeks, the forces of nature have unleashed their fury upon the very heart of America.  Through wildfires burning in Texas, flooding along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and the current incredible outbreak of tornadoes; there is no longer any feeling of invincibility in this land.  As if the current situation were not bad enough, a very active hurricane season looms just ahead.

In due time, all the damage being done by all these natural disasters will act as a financial stimulus as people will find jobs rebuilding houses, businesses, churches and other facilities.  But, in the short term, the current situation is too much for many to bear.  Losing one’s home or business is a traumatic experience that leaves deep scars in someone’s hearts for years to come.  Obviously there are many hurting people around right now.

The frustration people go through dealing with insurance companies, government agencies, financial institutions and employers is hard to understand unless a person has lived through a major disaster or worked with those who have.  People can talk about “trusting God” all they want, but when your home is a pile of debris, your place of employment is demolished and your creditors want payments NOW; the pressure many times literally breaks people and demolishes families.

In 2006 I took a very long and difficult trip to Cameron, a little town on the coast of southwestern Louisiana, which had been utterly destroyed by hurricane Rita the previous year.  The area was a ghost town as it had been literally forgotten due to most of the emphasis being placed on Katrina damage.  As I trudged through the sand looking at the destruction I came upon a few very haggard people hanging around a white tent.

When I inquired as to what was going on, I was told of how there used to be a church ministry that brought food to that tent twice a week but had run out of resources and had to stop.  My heart ached for these poor people who received no aid from FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army or any other group except one lonely ministry who could no longer find the resources to get food to them.

I was not able to do much but the pictures I took of the people and their plight did make their way to some agencies which in due time were able to get some resources down there.  The town had literally fallen through the cracks due to all the other needs.

As people attempt to put their lives back together in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia; I pray that those of us unaffected by the current onslaught of floods and tornadoes remember those whose lives have been turned upside down.

These are very troubled and turbulent times and many of our brothers and sisters are hurting right now.  If ever they needed a friend to lend them a hand or a shoulder to cry on it is NOW.  If there was ever a time to redouble our prayers and “stand in the gap” it is NOW.  If there was ever a time to intercede on behalf of those who are struggling to stay sane and alive, it is NOW.  Truly this is a time to pray for and reach out to all those engaged in the worst battles of their lives.

The long road back

Let us be honest; there is a mold which supposedly good Christians are to fit into.  I call this cookie cutter Christianity.  For the most part this mold consists of going to church on Sunday and living a decent and upright life with no terrible vices.  Unfortunately this mold also involves the watering down of the Christian message as well as severe judgment on anyone who appears to be either too much of a fanatic or a hypocrite.

 
A very long time ago, it became obvious to me that I didn’t fit the standard Christian cookie cutter mold.  My beliefs, values and views on living the Christian life angered both the ultra liberal and conservative sides of Christianity.  I have been called a paradox, a lunatic, a renegade, a revolutionary and many other “interesting” names since becoming a Christian nearly 42 years ago.

 
I can count on my hands and feet the number of times someone has offered me genuine support over the years and complimented me on “breaking the mold”.  I cannot begin to count all the thousands of times I have been scorned, rebuked, rejected and renounced for things I have advocated or done, especially when trying to help someone through a tough stretch in their lives.

 
Christians are some of the most judgmental people I know.  They pass judgment based upon what they have been taught and thus believe.  Anyone who does not fit their mold is automatically assumed to be a sinner or a wolf intent on deceiving the precious hearts of those who passively sit back and accept everything they hear as truth without ever searching the scriptures to see if it is.

 
Many years ago I allowed my independent streak to destroy my ministry.  I succumbed to the mistaken belief that I was someone special.  When I lost sight of the truth that my life is hid in Christ and only through the grace of God do I have anything good within me, I failed and I failed badly.  I spun out of control, crashed and burned a quarter of a century ago.

 
I spent years of my life crawling out from the hole I dug myself into.  I spent years condemning the day I was born and the day I was born again because I so condemned myself for not being perfect.  While others who committed worse atrocities than I went about their merry way pretending they never were wrong, I did what I felt was right and that was to vanish until God said it was time to return.

 
It took the better part of TWENTY years before God once again opened the door to actively minister His love and mercy to others.  It took nearly TWENTY years, many of them wandering through the dark night of the soul, to get to the point where I honestly believed God still loved me, had forgiven me and wanted me to once again reach out and act as His minister.

 
Christians waste so much time judging and condemning other Christians for backsliding and/or sinning. If more time were spent gently helping those who lost their way find the way back home; the results would be astounding.  Let me tell you a secret.  In the TWENTY years it took for a once strong and independent man (me), whose spiritual backbone was broken, to come back; not one single person ever offered their help or even their prayers to me.

 
When God let me know it was time to once again actively serve Him, the incredible joy was tempered by the fact that contrary to my service in the past, this time there would be no glory and no fame.  This time there would be no special benefits, no Rev. in front of my name or people fighting each other to get into my good graces.

 
I have learned that a servant of the Lord must labor in obscurity and seek to minister to people, one heart at a time.  I have learned this service has nothing to do with ME but rather everything to do with God and helping others know Him, see His amazing grace and get a glimpse of His awesome love.  Because I learned these things, God has allowed me to resume being a voice crying in the wilderness and someone willing to speak the truth in love.  Only this time, I could care less if anyone even knows who I am.

 
God did indeed throw open the doors 5 years ago and I will forever thank Him for allowing me the opportunity to give, share and represent Him as His humble servant once again.  That is growth, my friends and that is most definitely breaking the mold in a million pieces.

 

The incredible journey of faith–an introduction

Between August of 1978 and August of 1980 I served as a minister in Mississippi.  Spending two years in one of the poorest states in the Country after spending two years in California was quite an experience.

During my time in Mississippi I learned to respect and love the simple lifestyle of the poor.  I learned that one does not need a lot of money or things to have a deep personal relationship with God.  In fact, I learned that the people who loved God the most are many times those who have the least.

As difficult as those two years were for me, the lessons I learned have stuck with me for more than 30 years.  To this day, my heart is drawn to those who the world considers “losers” and especially to those who must deal with personal tragedies or calamities.

My dad passed away in 1998 and by 2001 I was more or less my 82 year old mom’s caregiver, even though I lived 6 hours away.  Gradually I became her official caregiver and was so until she died in April of 2006.  My heart ached for her state, not just because she was my mom, but because she spent nearly every waking moment held captive by the relentless pain that buffeted her body.  I am deeply moved by anyone in pain, whether physical, mental or spiritual.

When Hurricane Katrina tore into Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005 every part of me wanted to immediately drive down there and help.  I knew how devastating that storm would be to the poor people who get no publicity and who live off the beaten path.  As much as I wanted to go, I could not leave my mom due to her needs.  All I could was pray and that is what I did.

My mom was not a generous person.  The fear of running out of money in her old age drove her to be frugal and miserly.  She would give a small offering at church once in awhile, but the farthest thing from her mind was the idea of giving any of HER money to some poor person.  She grew up dirt poor and no one ever gave her a penny, so in her mind there was no reason to ever give to someone else who was in need.

In the final days before her death, my mom came to realize how wrong it was to have hoarded all her money awaiting a day that never came.  Near the end of my mom’s life, she made me promise that I would use some of that money to go help those poor people in Mississippi I always talked about.  I gladly agreed to honor her wishes.

For the next year I went to more places, met more people and did more interesting things than I had done the previous 20 years combined.   In many respects, I believe that God gave me that year as a personal reward for the many years of taking care of my mom.

I have always felt I needed to share some of what I saw and learned in the year God allowed me to live in service to others.  As time allows, I am going to break my silence and actually talk about what it means to literally walk with God with no safety net, no network of prayer partners and by faith and not sight.

Non Christmas news which saddens, enlightens and amuses

In these crazy days leading up to the December 25^th Holiday, it sometimes becomes easy to forget there is still a world out there which seems to take no time off for celebration of this Holiday. Various news items continue to surface, and no doubt will surface all the way through the 25^th. News doesn’t take a holiday off.

Just a few stories which came and went very quickly today with very few taking notice of them, portrays what this season represents to the millions upon millions of people who hold no firm religious attitude toward Christmas. For these people, there are far more important things going on than wasting one’s time pay homage to a baby born 2,000 years ago or a man in red suit who allegedly climbs down chimneys with no fear of law suits.

For those more interested in power, money and recognition; this time of year is a huge waste of time and resources which could be better spent advancing themselves or their pet causes. It is truly unfortunate that there is so little “good will” manifested anymore. People are simply too consumed with personal needs and greed to remember what this time of year is supposed to be all about.

Here is a very sad story which has HUGE ramifications if the courts rule a certain way. Please take a moment and read this and THINK about what this means to those of us who are taught and trained to help others by way of the parable Jesus Christ spoke of:

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=6498405&page=1

Reading this story truly pained my heart due to the warped and twisted view people now take toward those trying to save their lives. If the woman is allowed to sue her “good Samaritan” and if she wins an award, the shockwaves will reverberate through society for years to come. Christian charity necessitates “running to serve” and the very definition of “mercy” is the desire to help relieve the suffering of another. What is happening here is an attempt to get people to stop reaching out to help someone in need. This is a potentially horrible precedent.

The next story is also very sad, in an entirely different way. I am no fan of politics, and especially Minnesota politics (they elected a Professional wrestler as Governor years ago); but what the lawyers and prejudiced boards have to done to fraudulently throw a close election to an ex-Saturday Night Live comedian, is disgraceful and disgusting:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470892,00.html

I have no stake in the results of this election nor do I live in the state involved, but I am an American and I hate seeing cheaters win. I have spent far too much of my life living with problems brought upon me by people unethically or illegally placed into positions of power simply because they cheated. Whatever happened to a fair and square fight? Perhaps we need to go back to the days of settling disputes with a duel.

The next story is really a very positive and heartwarming story that as usual never saw the light of day in the mainstream media. We all know the current President is not very popular and the current Vice President is even less liked. These men have been portrayed as warmongers who take great delight in seeing American troops come home from foreign lands in body bags. This story certain casts new light on the level of compassion and genuine concern these men have manifested to our fallen heroes:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/22/bush-cheney-comforted-troops-privately/

Of course few of the many critics of these men believe a word of this story. What this story shows is the level of true compassion the two most powerful men in America have in their hearts for those who make the ultimate sacrifice for this country.

Finally, I could not let this short story go without at least calling attention to it. I am no fan of any of the people involved in this story; President elect Obama, Pastor Rick Warren or Rep. Barney Frank. My personal likes or dislikes aside, I do comment Mr. Obama for reaching out to a dyed in the wool Evangelical to give the invocation at his inauguration next month. It took both guts and some degree of political astuteness to make such a decision considering the hot button issue Proposition 8 continues to be:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWyQ9etqA6sE&refer=worldwide

I do not know Pastor Warren’s motivation for accepting this invitation, but I am sure he had to expect a huge backlash from the left due to his very public opinions regarding gay rights, abortion and other social agenda issues. I am sure Mr. Obama had to have also known the fallout which would come from this decision. It somewhat amuses me to see such a public censure by a prominent legislator regarding the head of his party.

The list of interesting, obscure and amusing news will continue to flow unabated until the return of Christ, so it should not be surprising to see such a plethora of it near Christmas. My point in posting this two days before such a special day as Christmas is to bring back into our remembrance that for each one of us who genuinely love and appreciate the meaning of Christ’s birth (whenever it was), there are probably at least five in the world who could care less or have gotten so hard and blinded by the world they have lost the “heart” of the holiday.

Both the good and bad of people have no bounds. Even as the evilness of those who know not God or spend their lives trying to disgrace and tear down those who do love God increases, let us pray for God to increase our love, patience and boldness to never stop reaching out to a dying world with the love of Christ. May we, who know and love our Savior with all our hearts, make sure we find someone whose life has reached rock bottom this holiday season and help them see and know that Christ still lives today, for He lives in and through us.

When the caretakers become the ones needing cared for; the collapse of most small charities

When I first started meeting people and looking for supplies to haul to Katrina victims, even though it was 9 months after the disaster, there was still plenty of compassion in the hearts of people who just wanted to “love their neighbor as themselves”. The outpouring of donations of food, furniture, clothing and money was astounding, even to me.

As the summer of 2006 wore on, so did the uniqueness of what I was trying to do. The early offers of help and assistance were replaced with excuses and a building resentment toward those who were still suffering. Somehow their plight was now their fault since it had gone on for so long. By November of 2006, all of 24 months after Katrina; the pipelines of aid were pretty well exhausted and people everywhere were tired of hearing about Katrina, period.

In the two years since, the level of compassion expressed by Americans toward their neighbors who are suffering as dropped dramatically. Calls for volunteers and donations after various disasters were still acceptable a year and half ago, but have dropped in direct proportion to the problems in the economy. The level of spontaneous free will giving now has now reached the point where there is basically nothing in any pipeline for anyone.

This situation has caused me great pain and suffering for I know how one group after another has had to curtail its activities and eliminate programs altogether. When people who used to donate faithfully are contacted, they are told there is nothing left to give. When faithful supply lines are called, those lines are no longer available. What has happened is that most small groups have increased their government dependence and in so doing have lost their autonomy.

As we approach the Holidays, I am alarmed by the downturn in programs which normally provide turkeys to those who normally would have NO Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. I am saddened to hear of the lack of donations for toy drives which are the lifeblood of small independent charities Holiday work.

Those I used to contact have no means to help in any capacity. What money they give, they donate to their church or the United Way or in red kettles in front of Wal Mart. Gone are the days when people had excess money they gladly gave at this time of year. Fundraising drives of all sorts and kinds are running far short of the amounts needed to keep programs afloat another year. There is a true crisis among charities of all sorts and kinds. Except one, that is.

I noticed that the new President’s people are setting up a “non-profit” 501 c4 to handle donations to assist in the transition of Presidents. I frankly do not understand how a group which already collected over 700 million dollars to run its campaign out of the pockets of donors, now has it hand out wanting another couple hundred million to move from Chicago to Washington.

The Federal Government can, has and will bail out banks, insurance companies and automobile manufacturers to the tune of 2 trillion dollars but can’t find a couple hundred million to move the new President and his staff to Washington? Of all the stupid things, this one takes the cake. While hundreds of worthwhile charities cannot find donors because all available money has gone to the Presidential campaign; those same people will gladly cough up hundreds of millions for transition.

Many of these same people will curtail giving during the Holidays due to needing to save their money for the gala at the time of the Inauguration. While these people blame America for not giving more to help the suffering, all their personal money goes to political campaigns, transitions and Inaugurations.

Normally at this time of year I would mellow and talk about the nice aspects of the upcoming Holidays. Not this year, and probably not ever again. As much as I hate to admit it, there is really nothing I can do anymore except pray for the few remaining independent groups trying to “hang on” in their commitment to helping others. All I can do is act as a middleman in trying to match needs with resources.

See, in my zeal to give away everything I owned to help others, I managed to succeed in doing just that. I now am only a couple of months away from joining those I tried to help for so long. The debt incurred in trying to launch a failed charity has finally caught up with me. Since the sum and total of all donations this year to my little group amounted to $100, I cannot do much except do as I have done in giving every penny I didn’t need that instant to others. Even today I gave a guy wondering around begging for money the last $20 I had.

I will never stop giving even if I have nothing to give. I will never stop trying to help even if I can find no one willing to lift a finger. I will continue to do all I can do even if no one in this country sees fit to ask where or how they can help. I pray God has a few others out there who are so committed and whose lives are not their own.

I do thank all who have added comments to the blog which has turned into a resource place for Ike victims. What was done with Ike this year is the greatest tragedy since the civil war. I promise to write more on that in the coming days.

For anyone who reads this, I am in desperate need of selling a 1994 Dodge conversion/camper van which has a little over 100,000 miles on it. I used this van traveling all over the United States in my attempts to find resources for those helping the suffering. I lived in this van and put thousands of dollars into its upkeep and maintenance. Selling that van now would buy me a couple of months more in this house.

Thank you for listening and praying for thousands who are silently hurting and deeply suffering due to the inability of people to give. I ask your prayers and supplication for my friends at Tri Coastal Community Outreach in Grand Bay, Alabama. I ask your prayers for my friends at the Giving Tree Outreach Program in Tucson, Arizona. I ask your prayers for my friends at the Cornerstone Children’s Ranch in Quemado, Texas.

I ask for your prayers for myself and my wife. Times are getting really tough for us just as they are for many of you. Our God is good and our God is great. Into His gracious hands I commit all of us trying to help and serve and all those who are in such desperate need. Thank You.

The Sad Reality of American’s Priorities

I actually received an e-mail today from someone living down in the forgotten area of east Texas devastated by Ike 6 weeks ago. Yes, I mentioned the “I” word. Haven’t heard that name for awhile have you? That’s because, in one of the greatest travesties in America’s history, the victims of Ike have been totally forgotten and no help is making its way there.

Here is a comment made on a blog post of mine dealing with this very subject:

“I am from Orange, Texas, and this is the first website I have found who truly has spoken the truth about no help from FEMA. Flood waters were anywhere from 2-6 feet in people’s homes. They lost EVERYTHING, some had nothing but a frame left of their homes to come back to. My sister is disabled, lost her roof and everything in her modest little home was ruined, and we cannot find help. FEMA sent her $3,300.00 to replace what she lost; oh my GOD that won’t even begin to help replace everything she lost. The media does NOT show this around the country, as far as everyone is concerned Ike is over and people are going on with their lives happy and content. That is BS, it looks like a war zone around this area, and they turned trucks around?????????????

These people need food, clothing and above all building materials because it is so high the average low income or disabled person on social security cannot rebuild their lives, this is horrible in a wealthy country such as ours. And my God if anyone has a heart in this world if they could see it firsthand it would break their hearts. NOW a month later after IKE they are STILL waiting for assistance while their lives continue to rot and corrode from the salt water surge. You can drive through the neighborhoods worst hit and smell the rotting decaying lives of the poor people here and those were upper to middle classed people with fine furniture piled up 1–12 feet high on the curbs waiting for the trash people to come haul it off. Landfills pilled hundreds of feet high with the lives of people here. WHY, for God’s sake I ask, is the media NOT showing this? Everyone here does NOT drink wine and beer and party while sitting on their duffs waiting for some kind of help, most are truly devastated. WHERE do they find help to rebuild? You can email me at swtbreezie@yahoo.com . All I can say is God help these poor people. KATRINA is OVER these people that went through IKE need help now!”

Due to the combination of the election and the financial turmoil, no one in America has a clue there are these kinds of needs still abounding in the Ike devastated regions, but there are. The Orange, Texas area never got much media attention, even directly after the storm. Most of the coverage was devoted to Galveston and Houston. I don’t know if I ever saw any news reports from Orange.

In the past, small groups like my Heart2Heart SHARE would be able to solicit financial donations and resources to haul down to areas such as this. I no longer even try to do this because there is no interest and no one willing to step up and help. The general attitude of people has changed dramatically since Katrina and I am still trying to understand why.

Need is still need, whether in Orange, Texas or Louisiana or Mississippi or wherever. Somehow the preoccupation with the election has warped everyone’s minds and consciences to where there is not the desire to help anyone but one’s self. This is sad and is not the American way.

I would like to think that since the election is now over, things will change; but I know better. No one has any spare money for it has all been given to political campaigns or is being hoarded to pay bills. My heart breaks to know there is such need and so little available to help meet it. I wish I could do something besides write and pray, but that is all I can at the moment.

I do wish that if anyone reads this who can help, that they would contact the person mentioned above and offer some assistance. There are other similar messages wrapped up in comments on this and other blogs I have written about the Ike situation since it happened. I pray someone; somewhere is able to provide help for those who need it. That is my prayer and heartfelt desire and hope in writing this.

150 million for a political campaign and $1.50 for Ike/Gustov victims

How is it that Americans had 150 million dollars to contribute in September to the Obama campaign but had nothing but excuses when asked to donate to Hurricane Gustov and Ike victims? How is it that Americans claim they have no time or money to travel to Louisiana or Texas to help hurricane victims, but they willingly drive all over the country to attend rallies for both Obama and McCain?

How is it that to this date, neither Presidential candidate nor their running mates have ventured down to the areas devastated by Katrina, Rita, Gustov or Ike? How is it that even the latest attempt by Bill and George to solicit donations for the hurricane victims has been met with a resounding apathy?

Has America gone totally insane? Have the last elements of rational thinking been thrown out the window along with all the Stock Market gains of years gone by? Where has the will to help, serve and love those in distress gone? Has it really evaporated into vapor due to the financial meltdown?

Car sales are down and so are home sales in many parts of the country. Yet, people still find the money to buy 700 inch plasma televisions to watch football on. People still have the funds to drive 95 miles per hour to pay hundreds of dollars to sit in stadiums and arenas to watch athletes paid a king’s ransom play games. People still have the funds to flock to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and various riverboat casinos all over the country.

Funny, all the people crying about having no money have money to buy tons of lottery tickets twice each week. These same people who plead poverty to their church pastor when asked to give, think nothing of dropping hundreds of dollars on beer, whiskey, junk food and tobacco each week. People who would not give a dime to a starving person think nothing of spending enough for 10 meals on one night on the town.

Isn’t it interesting how the same people who show up at political rallies holding signs condemning the sitting President and his party are many of the same people who a short time ago were reaping the financial gains due in large part to the policies in place for years? Isn’t it interesting how people who claimed the most important issues to them in previous elections were abortion, individual rights and other conservative oriented matters suddenly could care less about them when they lose a few dollars in the Stock Market?

The hypocrisy of average Americans is astounding. They go to church on Sunday and feign to be good Christians and then the rest of week live like and associate with heathens. This is nothing new, but it is more pronounced now than ever.

When I saw the picture of Obama’s rally in St. Louis yesterday with 100,000 adoring fans coupled with the news that his campaign raised 150 million dollars in the month of September I felt physically ill. I know some of the people who attended that rally and have given truckloads of money to the Obama campaign. They USED to be people I could count on to help others in times of disaster. Now they claim they have no money and no time to volunteer.

Charities, non-profits, churches and various service groups are hurting so badly at this time it is unbelievable. The American public has quit giving to causes which help people and are throwing their money in the toilet of American politics. These same people will soon be throwing their money into the rat hole of the IRS in higher taxes to pay for the United States Government to start doing everything the charities, non-profits, churches and various service groups USED TO DO.

My heart aches for I know the pain and suffering going on in America and I know how many thousands of suffering people are buying into the promise made by Obama that the government is going to meet all their needs and take care of them come January. As sheep to the slaughter, these people really do believe Uncle Sam is going to drive to their home and either give them a check for $100,000 or take them to some utopia where they will lounge around all day drinking margaritas and getting suntans. These same people rejoice when they hear that the evil rich white men and women will be taxed more and more to pay for their life of leisure. What a crock this all is.

This all reminds me of why young terrorists are willing to blow themselves up to kill a few innocent victims. They are promised virgins in heaven and eternal rewards for their sacrifice now. Hundreds of thousands of minorities, lower income and other social fringe groups have been fed a bill of goods by the Obama campaign that has led them to believe their “messiah” will somehow be able to turn their life around and at the same time punish those who made their life miserable with pain and suffering.

Politics aside; if the American way of helping the disadvantaged through volunteer charities falls apart and is replaced with numerous governmental programs, this country is doomed. The free will giving on the part of Americans to help their neighbor in need has made America strong for decades. I pray that somehow America does not forget this as it gets all caught up in Obamamania.

Millions Suffer while Smiley celebrates and “the Boss” serenades Obama’s Nation

Finally, after a wait which seemed to take forever, the Associated Press released a couple of articles this weekend dealing with the missing people from Hurricane Ike and the environmental damage caused by hurricane damaged oil platforms, pipelines and storage tanks. What has been the response? Well, if silence speaks volumes, then we have our answer.

Americans cannot be bothered right now about mundane and trivial things such as hurricane Ike related issues. Not with the Stock Market poised to drop by a million this morning. After being mesmerized by many days of drama in Washington over the Bailout Bill, everyone thought all would be well after the House voted Friday afternoon to approve the measure. Immediately after the vote, the Stock Market plunged.

This is what it is coming down to in America. Far more people are concerned about Cubs and Brewers got knocked out of baseball playoffs than the fate of hundreds (if not thousands) of missing fellow Americans in Texas and Louisiana. While millions upon millions of fanatic football fans were glued to their television sets Saturday and Sunday, thousands of people waited for someone to help them figure out where to start in the recovery process. While just about everyone was burning up the phone lines complaining to someone about the financial mess, hardly anyone even remembers there were back to back hurricanes less than a month ago.

No one knows what this month holds, but being an election year, there is a 100% certainty of some “October surprise”. Even now, the campaign has turned negative with the inevitable name calling and dredging up dirt on each other. Like a long running soap opera, millions of people stay glued to their news outlet waiting for the next installment of “As the Campaign Turns”. This would be humorous except for all the horrible things going on in the REAL WORLD.

So what if “Hannah Montana” turned 16 this weekend. So what if “Brittney” is going back to her old ways. So what if Bruce can play his guitar and through his influence persuade thousands of people to vote for Obama. So what if Saturday Night Live does a good parody on the VP debates. None of these things are news. All these stories do is feed the monster of the fantasy world most people live in.

Americans better wake up and realize what is happening right under their noses. The government, which is set to grow far bigger than anyone ever imagined, is taking control over things that not even the most brazen conspiracy theory backer thought possible this quickly. Once Sen. Obama is elected (and that is foregone conclusion), the nationalization of health care, insurance, education and welfare will soon follow. Anyone caught badmouthing minorities, gays and lesbians, Muslims or the government will pay dearly for their folly.

The Bible speaks in 2 Timothy 3 that the last days will be “perilous”. If the current days do not meet that criteria I don’t know what would. In the following verses in 2 Timothy 3, specific things are stated which define “perilous”. The first thing mentioned is that people will be lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. Our selfish, “me” driven mentality has produced the crisis in the financial sector as well as housing, employment and even disaster recovery.

Until and unless Americans yank their collective heads out of the dark place and rise up and do two things, the circumstances we are surrounded by will only get worse. The two things we all must strive to do are:

1. Let our voice (vote) be heard. Do not sit back and allow the vocal minority to say they reflect the views of the silent majority. Speak up, stand up and let your opinion be known.

2. Exercise the old axiom of when the pressure is on—GIVE. If Americans continue to shut down their spending it causes businesses to fail. When Americans shut down their charitable giving, lives will be lost and undo suffering will abound.

We must not allow the current economic situation to persuade us that we cannot afford to speak up or give. To the contrary, we must use the current situation as a springboard to bolder speech and more audacious giving. While the world says “you cannot afford to give”; God says “try and out give ME”. Please, on behalf of millions of suffering people, I beg of you to find new and innovative ways to give of your time, resources and means. Thank You.

No Media Coverage, Very Little Outside Help, FEMA to the Rescue=a bigger disaster-socialism

While all attention is diverted towards debates by candidates and in the Senate and House of Representatives, there is a tragedy of untold proportions brewing in areas devastated by the September hurricanes. There have been NO stories in either the written or broadcast media for many days concerning anything related to Hurricane Ike or Gustov. The unprecedented media blackout together with the mysterious lack of any prominent politicians showing up to supposedly promise aid if elected makes one wonder just what the agenda in this whole mess really is.

Never before has there been a disaster of the proportion of Gustov/Ike hit the United States and there NOT be relentless media coverage for weeks afterward. The media never covered Gustov and hightailed it out of Texas as soon as it was obvious there were not going to be 100,000 dead people and/or 50 billion dollars of damage.

Media coverage alerts Americans to areas of concern, interest and need. Without media coverage ignorance prevails and gives cause to apathy. The response from America as a whole to the September hurricanes has been anemic and has dried up along with the money in this country. As the entire financial aspect of this country constricts, so does the ability of relief and charity groups to do their jobs.

From one end of this country to another, charities are screaming for resources to keep doing what they are here for. From the greatest to the least, groups of all sizes are quickly running out of supplies and money to keep helping others. Of course this is due to deteriorating situation economically, but we cannot allow this to continue. If the safety net vanishes of private charities, then that only leaves the government programs such as FEMA to handle every aspect of disaster relief and recovery.

Is this what we really want in this country? Do we really want everything to turn into socialism? Do we really want the government to handle everything from banking to health care to retirement to disaster relief to providing for the disadvantaged? In our greed and selfishness along with our fear, do we really want to turn over to the government of the new USSA (United Socialistic States of America) the responsibility for everything the private sector used to provide?

By nature of the media neglecting to cover stories such as Gustov and the gasoline shortage in Atlanta together with its sudden departure from Galveston it has thrown the country into the dark regarding what is needed and where it is needed most. We need the media to get off its two track agenda and start doing its job. There is far more going on in this country than just the Presidential campaign and the bailout package in Washington.

Please keep the victims of the Gustov and Ike in your prayers and if there is any way to help them, please be aware the need is great. Please pray that within this great land, there remains a remnant of good hearted people who only want to reach out and help their neighbor in need. Please pray that somehow the word can reach out as to who needs what the most.

The United States has no idea there are still hundreds, if not thousands of missing people after Ike. The United States has no idea there are thousands of people living in temporary housing or evacuation centers out of money and with no home left to go back to. The United States has no idea of the scope and level of destruction and havoc the double barreled hurricane hits of September caused. Why? Because the media was gone with the wind and never looked back.

Everyone knows Texas is a Republican state so why should the liberal media bother to give it any press? Everyone knows that it would not benefit either McCain or Obama to visit the hurricane stricken areas for they are going Republican whether a candidate shows up or not. The selfish and self-serving ways of politics have trumped the critical needs in the areas devastated and thrown the burden of recovery squarely on the shoulders of FEMA. Have we not learned anything since Katrina?

Gustov and Ike victims have been totally forgotten and neglected

Some have told me to “let it go”. Others have told me “it’s a lost cause”. Still others have accused me of being “crazy” and through it all, NO ONE has told me “keep it up”. What is this all about?

One month ago today a major hurricane hit the Louisiana coast near Grand Isle. Hurricane Gustov continued inland and hurricane force winds battered places as far away as Baton Rouge relentlessly. Meanwhile, down the road in New Orleans all the reporters from all the major news outlets were focused on watching a few waves overtop a few levees. With every ounce of their being they were hoping to see the levees break and their cameras provide live footage of the greatest flood of all time.

All the willing of all the media could not force the levees to break. After a day of anticipation, they were bitterly disappointed that there was no huge story coming out of New Orleans. With heavy heart they trudged to either St. Paul to cover the Republican convention they never wanted to attend, or to South Carolina on the off chance Tropical Storm Hanna might turn into a real newsworthy storm.

While Hanna was huffing and puffing and not really doing much of anything, Hurricane Ike was ripping the Bahamas and then Cuba apart like an angry monster let loose on the city. Of course no reporters are allowed in Cuba and no one in their right mind would have stayed in the Bahamas. Thus, the real story of Ike was neglected, just as the real story of Gustov.

For days, the headlines regarding Ike were directed towards Florida. Where and how this became the focus of attention is baffling. Ike was never headed that way. Still, whenever the folks on Key West are told to evacuate, that becomes the almighty big story of any storm. Why do people live there anyway?

Consider these facts. In the twelve days between Hurricane Gustov and Hurricane Ike, there was basically NO media coverage of Gustov’s damage except in the immediate New Orleans/Baton Rouge areas. Even the television outlets in coastal Mississippi did not cover the story. There were far bigger fish to fry than spending resources on covering a little ole storm that hit a section of Louisiana no one in the United States knows or cares about.

FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and a few other charities were on the scene providing a little help; but the response after Gustov was minimal and a disgrace to the heart of disaster relief in this country. If we are going to selectively pick and choose who receives aid, media coverage and prayers; our country has slid down the slope to extinction.

As Ike grew into the sprawling monster he became, of course every news outlet rushed crews to Galveston and Houston in anticipation of a huge story. Dreams of Katrina like footage flooded the minds of reporters looking for the story that would catapult them to the “big time”. As dire warnings were issued for those refusing to evacuate circulated, the army of reporters spread out to find safe areas to weather the storm at, yet be close enough to provide graphic shots of the impending carnage.

Images of reporters being swept off their feet in the rising storm surge made the rounds on the internet along with pictures of fools hanging sideways on light poles as the rising winds came ashore. Stupid interviews with people bragging about not evacuating but staying in their beachfront houses drinking beer and partying were still filling television screens the afternoon before the storm hit.

When the media went to bed that Friday night Ike came ashore, they were like children on Christmas Eve. Surely the next morning would provide days of coverage of a totally wiped out Galveston and a severely crippled Houston. Awards and high ratings danced through their heads as they endured a night of wind and storms.

But, alas, once again the weather gods did not cooperate. With bitter disappointment these loyal foot soldiers of the media giants went out to battle on Saturday only to find huge sections of Galveston still standing and worse yet, Houston was barely touched. With clenched fists they cursed the weather gods for not sending the 20 foot storm surge that would have leveled Galveston and crippled the oil and gas industries in Houston for years. Instead, all they got was a little category 2 hurricane with a storm surge that only destroyed places too far to film and that no one cared about.

As a result of Ike not killing 100,000 people, totally destroying the city of Galveston or flooding half of Houston; the media stayed long enough to give a few reports for a few days and then started the mass exodus to find the next big story that America craved to see. Within a week to ten days after Ike, most of the national media were long gone and by two weeks after the storm, there were no longer ANY stories about Ike, Galveston, Houston, the Texas coast or Louisiana.

What have we come to in this country? Do we simply cast off those who suffer the loss of their homes, jobs and families simply because the carnage was not great enough to warrant continued coverage? The media stayed in New Orleans and to a lesser degree the Mississippi coast for months after Katrina. Through their constant coverage of the devastation came the impetus for America to give of their goods, money and time to help those in need.

Since the media has chosen to forsake those affected by Gustov and Ike, there is but a trickle of help heading their way. The response by America to these hurricanes has been tepid at best and non-existent most of the time. America has quickly forgotten about Ike because of the soap opera playing out in Washington over the “bail out”. While debate continues on giving 700 billion to bail out banks, an obscure bill was passed giving a few billion dollars to help those affected by Gustov and Ike.

I know times are tough and everyone is uptight about money, but that does not give an excuse to forget about those who have lost everything and are only starting on the long journey to normalcy. Even the incredible story out of Atlanta regarding gasoline shortages has only in the past two days made the headlines (near the bottom). Either America does not care anymore about helping her fellow citizens in time of need or they do not know what the need is due to the arrogance and ratings driven media who have shirked their duty by failing to cover Gustov and stick with the Ike stories. Shame on you.