The day I remember

April 27th changed the life of my friends, but April 28th changed mine.  We had stayed up all night - friends calling, "Have you heard anything?"  "Duane is there with a chainsaw, only men with chainsaws can come through" "Injured people everywhere" A text... someone is dead.  And that became our reality.  Someone we loved was gone.

Today I read, Do not boast in tomorrow.   Proverbs 27.  Had Mr. L ever boasted?  I think not, but he knew His Savior and so does his family.  He had voiced a hope that there would be a tomorrow.  That he would see his youngest grow up, but no he had known that the Lord holds time in His hands. 

So with one hour of sleep, I told my children, "Mr. L. had died in the storm, several of the children were in the hospital with serious injuries, our friends' homes were gone, and life will be forever different."

We headed to the sight of the tornado, and all day long we picked through the rubble of our friends former life.  We looked for a wedding ring of newly made widow.  We cried.  We stood in awe as we looked at where the family had been and knew that God had spared 14 even while taking one home to Him.

We hugged and loved the C. family.  I cried as her little told me as she came over to my house, "Daddy is out buying us a new house."

Today, a year ago, my front lawn was covered in laundry.  I had so many children in my home that I stopped counting and just kept feeding.  We had company in our home everyday for over a month.  God had already begun to teach me a new lesson... open door hospitality.
Now that will rock your boat!! 

Rise Up and Call Her Blessed

Recently a "comedian"  made some type of trashy comment about a presidential candidate's wife.  The comment was neither insightful nor funny, but that is not the point in this world.  The point is to offend, but really who did it offend?

Women all over the world?  Women who since the beginning of time have prepared a haven, a home, a hospice for their families?  Maybe, but more importantly Scripture tells us, "A foolish son is the grief of his mother."  The beautiful woman of Proverbs 31 raised sons who grow up to call her "blessed."

Do you think highly of the comedian's mother?  That is his view of women.  That is what his family instilled.  What are we instilling in our sons?


Let us prayerfully and humbly raise up sons who call us blessed.