New Beginning

Our new neighbors from Biloxi ordered a bed on line, and it should arrive today. Still in shock, they smile wistfully and tell us they can soon move into the last apartment available at the nice complex near us. Many folks, however, are not so fortunate.

One such, a mother showed up our school the other day. After her husband's death in New York three weeks ago, she and her daughter had relocated to New Orleans to be near family, but had to flee before the hurricane. Now they find themselves at our doorstep in Mississippi. Another family, the dad, a dentist, have brought their handsome eighth grade son to our school. He is an articulate, young man who walks around quietly or sits staring amid the bounce and activity of our children.

Hundreds of such families are swarming our area schools, especially the public and Catholic academies, which are becoming overcrowded. These are the fortunate ones.

Mississippi coastal News, lists 3309 PAGES of survivors or missing persons.

http://wx.gulfcoastnews.com/katrina/status.aspx

and anyone can see the pictures on line of the devastation of homes, businesses and lives. Many, many people are desperate for water to drink and wash in, for food and a roof.

But there is another kind of desperation: one that is good. It is one that allows the wind of the Holy Spirit to disrupt our thinking and reveal some power failures in our own lives.

It is a time to humble ourselves, repent of the things that have lain hidden, which are not pleasing to God, but are hindering His redemption for planet earth. Our ancestors in Paradise, deliberatly disobeyed the warning of their loving Creator, bringing a dark cloud over an indescribably beautiful Paradise. We've done the same.

But when a great stipping away of the trappings of life occurs, we are left with just us, plus whatever we have sown into our hearts up to this point. If it is not pretty, everyone will see the uncleaness.

Thank God that even then, Jesus Christ walks among the shambles and wreckage of our devastated hearts and reaches out His bleeding hands to redeem and breathe new life into us. He lovingly whispers to our hearts,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor: He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those that are oppressed."

One kind of devastation is good. It is the kind that opens us up to receive Jesus and His shed blood as our only Salvation, both now in this life and to build us a real Home for all eternity.