In 1983, the United States Congress passed an historic bill. And how it got through Congress was also historic. This historic bill was sponsored by a congressman who was dying of cancer and he wanted to do something significant. He took his bill and posted on the wall of congress. Anyone who wanted to sign it could. There was no debate, no filibuster or no arm twisting. It just passed through Congress. This historic bill was The Year of the Bible. The first time since the time of Christ has a nation declare a Year for God. You wouldn’t believe what happen to this nation. The Gross Nation Product was higher than the pass 20 years. Prosperity came back to this country. Christianity became popular. Churches filled up. People were excited about being an American. Imagine trying to get that bill through this congress. It would take a miracle. Gallup Poll took a survey of the American people. They asked what are the three most important things in your life. The American people responded with a usual answer. It was a strange as the bill itself. The American people said that what was most important in their lives was love, joy and peace. If you don’t know these are the first three gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is what God gives to His children. It is what we need to live in this world. It is also what we did to show that God is alive and well. Joy especially in these times. Joy is that constant knowing that all is well in the world. That God is in control of everything. As God says, the Joy of the Lord is my strength. So rejoice and be glad for this is the day the Lord has given to us.

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My wife and I lost our home to the flood in Louisiana in August of last year. we packed away everything we could save. I have been living with my oldest son and my wife with the older woman she is caring for. We would get together when she was off work. But for 6 months we have been living out of a suitcase. We put in a purchase agreement on a house last year. And guess what, we will sign the paperwork today. When we emptied the house, we lived in for 35 years, it was a major disaster in our lives. I felt so alone. I could hardly stand it. All the things we had accumulated over our life together was destroyed. It’s funny, the things that we could save were great grandmother’s dresser, my grandmother’s hutch and my mother’s secretary desk. They were made of solid wood and built to last for a very long time. We are going to move in this weekend. And all the feelings that I felt when we lost the house are being dreaded up again. What I want to do is just sit on my new porch and pray. It may seem that I am impervious to pain, but it is not true. I am made of flesh and blood and a heart that feels everything. I am sitting here writing this story and crying, partly because of the pain, but mostly for joy. And those who think God is dead, you are sadly mistaken. He is real and alive and has answered my prayers. God has always said, test me and see if I will answer your prayers. Muster your courage and ask Him for your need.

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Yesterday we celebrated a traditional festival known to all Catholic countries and regions as carnival or Mardi Gras. People came out from everywhere to watch a parade of costumed dressed people ride a decorated float throwing to the crowd multicolored beads. It actually was about a dozen parades over the past few days. People were camped out all along the parade route. They were camping with RV’s, tailgating and generally having a good time. After it was all over, my wife and I were driving home from my brother’s house and commenting on the amount of trash thrown on the streets. I was saying that the city workers were going to be busy all night cleaning. A young woman from Oregon working here was talking about how she enjoyed the family camaraderie of the entire area. I told her it was the French culture of hospitality. That culture that made our area of the state unique and a community. It is what drew people from everywhere to live in our state. The sense of community that binds people together in good times and bad. Today starts the season of Lent, 40 days of prayer and fasting in the Catholic church. It is to prepare us for Easter or celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even those people who aren’t Catholic celebrate this occasion because they are part of the family, the body of Christ. And there is nothing more important than family in the church and in our French community.

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Everything in our lives works when the timing is right. Sometimes we don’t like waiting, but it still has to be the right timing. You can have everything in the world going for you, but if the timing isn’t right, it’s not worth much. Everyone has had this happen to them, where you were at the right place and at the right time. That is called timing. Everybody knows about the wrong place. King Solomon said, to every season there is a time. He knew that in every season of life there is a right time for everything. And knowing when it is the right time is skill not dumb luck. There is over 570 references in the bible to time or timing. God knows how important it is to us. And show us the way to have that skill in our lives. God gives us a certain amount of time. Once it is gone, we can’t get any more time. We have to use our time wisely. Because we are immortal, sometimes we think we will live forever on this earth. It doesn’t work that way. This earth is just a temporary home. We are walking through it on our way back home. So, our timing has to be just right to get us from here to home. There is no secret to God’s timing. Everybody knows how to use it to get to God. What is unfortunate is that some people don’t want to use God’s time to get home. You see everything is in the timing. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time.

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My family has always tried to stay close to each other. My earliest recollections of my family were a get together in a park where they prepared food, the men played cards and everyone danced to music that my cousins played. I have gathered with my family since I was little. Whenever there was chance to meet, we came together. Even if it was just for coffee and fellowship. We were always driving out to the country to meet those who could come. My immediate family always came together for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. What this did was to build relationships across generational lines. Everyone knew who you were and would talk to you about anything. I knew my great grand aunts. The family was close to each other. When we would travel, we would stay with relatives across the country. We were a family unit. It didn’t matter how rich or poor you were. If you were family, that was what was important. It gave me a sense of community, that I wasn’t alone in this world. God’s family is the same way. It is across generational lines. It doesn’t matter where you came from or what color you are. If God accepted you into the family, you are a member of my family. And my family hasn’t stopped growing. There are still more people to join my family. The sense of community is as strong as my earthly family. And I love them just the same, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. If you are looking for a home and family to belong to, just turn to God and ask Him to come in. No matter who you are, God will accept you.

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The skies are clear. It is 48 degrees and it seems to be a perfect day. But there is a 63% change of rain in the forecast. Again, what constitutes a perfect day? It is all in your perception that counts. What you see and believe is what you think and are. It could be a hurricane and still be a perfect day. As a child, there was nothing better than a storm to keep me from school. When I began to grow up, things changed in my life. My priorities changed with the season. I knew what I wanted to do, but didn’t always know how to get there. I was always searching for the way to accomplish my goals. Some ways didn’t turn out to be so good and I paid for them. Sometimes I paid dearly. But I knew that if I kept searching I would find the perfect way. I also knew that I wasn’t the only person who knew which way to go. I had to listen to other people to find what I wanted. Sometimes, I had to listen to things I didn’t want to hear or let alone do. But I knew that if a listened, I would find the right way in life. It took years for me, because I am as stubborn as hell. I would dig my heels in so much that people would just walk away from me. I try very hard not to be that way, but it pops out every so often. I found the Way, almost by accident I thought. But it was all by design. My life had been plan and I stumbled on to it. I have been walking in that plan for some 40 years. And I still stumble sometimes, but now I have someone to help me up and put me back on the path. Yes, it is God, Himself. You see He says, all things work together for good, for them that love God and are called according to His promises. Thank God.

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This saying appeared as the lead title on the daily newspaper. They were referring to the crowd of people that will descend on our city for Mardi Gras. But they don’t know how accurate they really are and I am not talking about people. The saying is talking about a calm period of time before something major happens, like storms, battles, struggles or just people coming to a festival. Although, the presidential election has changed the face of the nation, there is an uneasiness in this country. It is like a bomb about to explode. People aren’t sure what will happen in this country. All the protest over the election is more of a tantrum than anything substantial. Do you know why the civil war was fought in America? It wasn’t over slavery. It was over different fundamental ideas. People who were diametrically opposed to changing, on both sides. There were about 31 million people living in America and there were about 1 million causalities. By todays population that would be about 10 million people. But all this uneasiness isn’t about political views. It’s funny how the bible talks about situations that are going to happen. The bible says that in the last days of the earth, people will carry on as normal. They will say there is no problems, we have peace. But they will be carried away by the flood to come. And make no mistake there is a flood coming. God says to live as if this were your last day on earth. Then you will be prepared to go when the end comes. You see this is just the calm before the storm.

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You will get many different answers to that question. There are many yardsticks to measure success by. Which one do you use? The most obvious one is money. The pursuit of money has occupied more people than anything else. But is it the most rewarding? You know we have to keep up with the Jones’. The pursuit of money has destroyed more people than it is really worth. Everyone needs money, but not to worship it. Some people choose alcohol or tobacco. A sad commentary in our nation’s history is the pursuit of drugs. It is nothing new. It spans over several centuries. What is it that people are trying to fill their lives with? What is that void in people’s lives? Why does this pursuit destroy people? Humans are a very complicated organism. We have to have salt and water to survive. Food come in second to water. Then we have to have clothing and shelter. What then? We are social beings and need fellowship. We need to communicate with each other. Once we have accomplished all that, what is next? Do we accumulate all the wealth in the world? What is it that we need to accomplish with that wealth? God didn’t give to us, to sit on it and do nothing. The only way that we can truly be successful is to give. To give of ourselves and our wealth, so that there is room for more to give. In God’s economy, giving is the basis of all blessings. If you hold on to what God has given you, it will die within you. Give and that more abundantly, press down, shaken together and you will receive. It is the formula for success.

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My wife and I went to Mexico years ago, to visit her family. Her grandmother had just gotten out of the hospital. My wife was raised in America, but her dad is from Mexico. We went with our 2 oldest sons. Our oldest son was 2 years old and the other was 6 months old. When we arrived, her grandmother was being cared for by a granddaughter who had a baby. She had no husband and the baby no father. The baby cried most of the time we were there. The baby kept saying over and over again, look at me. My wife’s aunt and uncle asked me why I thought the baby cried all the time. They saw how happy and content our sons were. I told them that it was because the baby has no father. Having a father brings stability to the home. I also said it was because of God in our lives. I said that children need a father and mother to know security and peace in the home. In God’s economy, the mother owns the home and is in charge of the children. The father is to provide for his family and love his wife and children. This brings security to the home, where the children can grow up and be fulfilled in life. This is God’s example to us to able to see who He is. My children can always come to talk to me. They may not like what I have to say, but that won’t stop them from talking. This is God’s example.

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The saying is an old ad to promote people using the telephone to connect with people. It seems that everyone has taken it to heart. The use of cellphones is phenomenal. People use that phone while doing everything. As I drive through the city it is scary to see that phone struck to people’s ear while driving. I never found that much to say to anyone. I know that the phone has caused many accidents. People are distracted and not focusing on driving. There is another way that people can communicate with each other. With all the modern technology, it has become a lost art. That lost art is listening. You would think with all the phones in use, people are listening. But you would be wrong. The more people talk on phones, the less they listen and hear what is being said. You haven’t communicated until you have reached out and touched someone. The person you are speaking to has to hear and understand what you are saying to them. Then you have communicated. Otherwise it is just noise. And brother there is more noise in this world than it is worth. Have you ever had someone say something to you and you turned to them and saw what they were talking about. That person has communicated with you. It doesn’t make any difference what they are talking about. If you understood and saw what was being said. That is their heart speaking to your heart. And that is communication.

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