When I began I always thought that prayer was hard and mostly impossible to reach God. But every time I asked God for something, it seemed to show up at my doorstep. The first time I prayed for someone, I was cornered into doing it. I didn’t know whether or not would answer me. I said, “Ok, God do something.”  Guess what happened, God healed the person immediately. It surprised me so much that I began to test God. I prayed for stupid things, headaches, pains, shirts, and whatever came to mind that I needed. By the way, there are no stupid things when it comes to pray. God said He would give us the Kingdom here on earth as well as in Heaven. God kept answering me and showing me that He was listening. Then I wanted to hear His voice and to know it was Him. I like the King James English version bible. God would speak to me through a scripture in King James English. For a long time that was how I heard His voice. Then God spoke to me plainly. I heard that still small voice in my heart and knew it truly was God. My prayer began to change into a constant conversation with my Father. This is what I always wanted, a real relationship with my Father, my older brother, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I am not usual or strange. God talks to everyone.

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I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. I watched this young man grow up. He had a troubled past. As he grew, not only did he change, but his whole family did. Being involved in the lives of others is one of the most rewarding part of my life. We are social beings. Our lives are intertwined with other people. God made us this way. So that our hearts would reach out with compassion. Not every effort has worked out. There has been heartbreaking times. There were people who I reached out to and had my hand slapped away. Not every person will respond to your effort. But I reach out so that at least some will respond. Before I was married, I lived in one city and went to church in another. Many times going back and forth, I would pick up hitchhikers. I would only do it when the Spirit of God prompted me. One day, I pick this guy up headed my way. As I spoke to him, I found out he was a preacher’s son running from God. By the time I reached my destination, he was headed home to his father. It is the oddest thing when people come up to me and thank me for helping them. I couldn’t even remember who they were. God said always be ready to give an answer for your faith and works you exhibit. I know that many people’s lives have been changed because of this. The bible talks about this in James 2:17-18 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (KJV).

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Everyone is born to parents. And for whatever reason, some people are unable to care for their children. 35 years ago, Brazil was so impoverished that were over 14 million abandon children walking the streets. It was a horrible situation. Adoption has been a way to help solve this problem. During WWII, Britain moved all the children out of London into the countryside to save their lives. London was being bombed daily and so many people were dying. Children are our future. A friend of mine started a orphanage in Guatemala. He and his wife pastored a church here in Louisiana. They went to Guatemala on a trip and saw the abject poverty. In the trash dump in the capital city they found 30,000 children living. It moved them so much, that they resigned their church and moved down to Guatemala to open an orphanage. They have been there over 20 years. The children not only found a home, they ate regularly, became healthy and finished high school. Then to their surprise, most of the children went to college and graduated. These children are leading their country instead of being an army killing their own people. Adoption is about grace and mercy. When your heart is moved by compassion and do something about it. It is not unlike another person, who looked at us and was moved with compassion. He looked on us as sheep without a shepherd. Knowing that we needed help so badly. He came and paid the price to bring us back into the fold. That price being His life. No greater love has any man than He would lay down His life for another. And He did it by grace and mercy. Hallelujah!!!

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Everyone tries to be different. People want to stand out among everyone else. They will do whatever it takes to be the one. If you want to see it up close and personal just look at every reality show on TV. It is a sad game of one-upmanship. Personally I could do without a lot of information. I am fine with not knowing everybody’s secret. Depending on where and how people were raised, is what a person will do in this life. There are many examples. All you have to do is look at the news on TV or read a newspaper. I don’t want to get specific about any one person. What I am talking about is that it is ok for people to be different. I am going to quote a yogism, “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be” We were made individuals. We are similar in many aspects, but different enough to be special. My appreciation of the individual didn’t happen for a long time. As I got older, I saw that uniqueness in each person and became willing to accept it. I don’t accept the lawless, but in the bounds of civility. My attitude toward people has grown because of my acceptance by God. God loved me when I was unlovable. And with His acceptance and love, I grew in the knowledge of God. With that knowledge, I learned how God loves everyone. As it says in the bible in Acts 10:34 “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” (KJV). So I am just like my Father.

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The new world meant many things to different people. They saw something that would bring prosperity to themselves and their family. They came with literally nothing to start a new life. At first, they were promised land and provisions to colonize the new world. But when they came they found that an indigenous people lived there. Some made peace with them and others began to fight them. Then wave after wave of people began coming to America. Many came to have religious freedom. Some came just to have freedom. Most people found what they were looking for. It was here in this land that people found a home. In the beginning, it was a hard life and many didn’t survive. The life here was never easy, but it forged a people fiercely independent and self-reliant. But all the while people understood that God was leading them in this direction. They knew that God had put the dream in their heart and they were going to follow. It took hard work and perseverance on their part. It hasn’t change at all. It still takes hard work and perseverance to succeed in this country. But the people of the past knew where they were going. This is why the called America the Promised Land. Just like what God did for the Jewish people of ancient times. God gave them a Promised Land. Sadly today Americans don’t have the same vision. And don’t call America the Promised Land. It is funny that immigrants still call this land the Promised Land. And I know that God is still directing people here.

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I have wanted to write since I was young. I would always have stories in my head. I would sit down and think about a story, then tell the story. When I was young of course the stories were about heroes. The people would be super-heroes. Someone larger than life itself. I have always been creative. When I was a teenager, I went to my parents and asked if I could take ballet lessons. My dad said no. But I saw in these people skill and dedication and passion. I knew that is what I wanted. I knew that I wouldn’t rise to be president but I could live a life of passion. I really didn’t care so much as to what I would became. All I knew was that I wanted it to be challenging and would require passion. I went into communications in college. So I could learn to express myself. I would write stories and they always seem to express the mood I was going through. It is how I write. My stories always involve me or I would put myself into the story. This way the story became personal. And a personal story is more interesting than a narrative. When I became a Christian, my story became very personal and intimate. For a long time, I didn’t want to express myself because my story was too intimate too share. If it wasn’t at the unction of the Holy Spirit, I wouldn’t have started writing again. God wanted me to share what I believed and my love for my God. So you will see bits and pieces of me in everything I write. And all those bits and pieces make up a whole picture of who I am and who God is.

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If I would ask how many people have been in love, everybody would raise their hands. We seek it with every living breathe. From the first time we could remember we have wanted someone to love us. It is that strong of a compunction in our lives. In fact it is life itself. So why were we made to love so strongly? Why is it a driving force in our lives? The strangest behavior I have ever seen was when people pursue being loved. People will go to almost any extreme to get someone to love. John Hinkle tried to kill President Reagan to get the actress Jodie Foster to love him. Do we learn this behavior or are we born with it? Is it an instinct like animals? If we look at the human heart there is a hole that has to be filled. That hole in our heart is being loved. We are born that way for a very special reason. One reason is so that we will search for love. As you well know it won’t come to you. You have heard the saying that the heart is a lonely hunter. It is true. The heart searches all of its life for the love that will satisfy it. The other reason is that God made you that way. He put that hole in your heart so that you would seek Him. He knew that the only love that will satisfy us eternally is His love. And that His love is the strongest bond that can be made. Where there is no separation anxiety. In the bible it says in Romans 8:35 & 39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ….Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (KJV).

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My younger brother was researching our family for years. When I became interested in the history of our family. I wanted to see who they were and what they did. My search took me in 4 different directions. There was my father and his parents. Then there was my mother and her parents. Two of the families are from France. One family is from Italy. Another is from Scotland and Ireland. And you wouldn’t believe some of the people in my family. In my mother’s family is the frontiersman Kit Carson and Daniel Boone. These men were Scots-Irish. Francoise Boutte was one of Jean Lafitte’s lieutenants. This family is from France. My dad’s family came to this country in 1637. They landed in Boston. My family fought for the British and against them in the American Revolution. They fought in the War of 1812. They fought in the Civil War on both sides. They fought in WWI. My dad and his brothers fought in WWII. My brother and I were in the Vietnam War. My 3 of my sons served in Iraq and Afghanistan. My great, great grandfather lost his eye and arm in the Civil War. He, his brother and sons walked to Louisiana in 1866 from Alabama. Almost all of that side of the family have red hair. This is a Scottish trait. With all the twist and turns my family faced, they kept on walking forward. Everything changed for them. And it still is changing. It is the only constant in this world that we can count on. That is why the saga of my family isn’t over yet. It is still being made and written down. Until we all go home. Until tomorrow.

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The weather has changed. The wind is blowing out of the north. And the temperature is mild. It isn’t 100% humidity and 90 degrees outside. 2 years ago, the jet stream flowed down to Louisiana then went back north. That is when we had cold front after cold front. Normally a cold front in Louisiana is 90 degree weather and no humidity. But during that time we had hard freeze after hard freeze. The cold weather never stayed because we are too far south. But it was nice. I don’t want to live in 10 foot snow and subzero weather. But having cold weather come through is a nice change of pace. The only thing about cold front is that it is pushing rain. Up north, it would be snow, but here it is rain. Now we have a hurricane about to enter the Gulf of Mexico. As long as the high front is stationary, it won’t come here. But if a low front moves in, it will suck that hurricane right to us. I love the fall and spring time in Louisiana. The fall and spring flowers are in bloom and everything is green. Living in Louisiana takes getting used to. People who visit during the hot weather have difficulty with the heat. If you happen to visit during a hurricane, well good luck. So weather systems have come and gone. We lived through them all. And I never found a better place to live in than Louisiana. Come see for yourself. Until tomorrow.

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We all have them. People who we see as an example of personal fortitude or integrity. Whatever the reason, we will honor them whether they are living or not. I have always thought that these 2 people were examples that anyone could appreciate. Their names are Horatio and Anne Spafford. They lived in Chicago during the Civil War. He was a successful lawyer. They were good friends of Dwight L. Moody. They had 5 children. He owned a large amount of real estate in 1871. When Chicago burned to the ground. They helped rebuilt Chicago. In 1873, their 4 year son died of scarlet fever. The Spafford’s worked tirelessly for several years to rebuild Chicago. They decided to take a vacation in Europe. While in New York, Mrs. Spafford and their 4 daughters went ahead on a separate boat. Horatio Spafford got news the next day that the ship had sunk. A telegraph came from his wife, which read, “Saved alone”. On the voyage over to meet his wife, Horatio Spafford asked the captain of the ship where the other ship went down. He showed him the spot. On the back of the ship, he wrote, a song which has become a standard in Christian music, “It is Well with my Soul”. They went on to have 3 more daughters. The Spafford’s eventually moved to Jerusalem in the 1880’s. There they found abject poverty and deplorable conditions. They opened soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable ventures. He died in 1888 in Jerusalem and is buried there. These people lived a life worth honoring. When no one said they had to do anything and could have lived in relative ease. But because of their faith in God and strong sense of urgency, they lived a life worth honoring as heroes.

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