Abide…


John chapter 15 is the ‘Abide’ chapter of the Bible…

Verse 4, Abide in me…except ye abide in me.

Verse 5, He that abideth in Me…

Verse 6, If a man not abide in Me…

Verse 7, If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you…

Verse 10, If you keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love… and abide in His love.

Reading, meditating, memorizing, and studying the Word of God is how we abide in God. We need to become strong spiritually.

Holiness is not freedom from temptation, but power to overcome temptation. G. Campbell Morgan.

Be Brave…


  “The first prayer I want my son to learn to say for me is not, “God keep Daddy safe,” but, “God make Daddy brave. “ And if he has hard things to do, make him strong to do them.”
      Son, life and death don’t matter. But right and wrong do. Daddy dead is Daddy still, but Daddy dishonored before God is something too awful for words.”
                                                                    Studdard Kennedy, Chaplain, World War II.

Good Point….


A Pastor who got tired of hearing reasons why people don’t go to church, have quit coming, decided he would quit bathing and gave the reasons why.

1. I was forced to as a child.

2. People who wash are hypocrites, they think they are cleaner than anyone else. 

3. So many different kinds of soap, I can’t decide which is best for me.

4. I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped.

5. I wash only on special occasions, like Easter and Christmas.

6. None of my friends wash.

7. I’ll start washing when I get older and dirtier. 

8. I can’t spare the time.

9. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.

10. The people that make soap are only after your money.

I AM…


I was regretting the past and fearing the future and I heard the Lord God say to me, “My name is I Am. If you live in the past it will be very hard for I Am is not there. My name is not I was. If you live in the future it will be very hard for my name is not I will be. But if you live in the present it is not hard for my name is I Am.”

Psalm 71, A Psalm for old age…


Please read this wonderful Psalm. It was written by some older person, maybe David as an old man. Things we can learn, to pray and trust, don’t give up, God has kept you here for a purpose. I/we need to talk less about our aches and pains and more about the Lord and sing His praises. “My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long…” Good stuff…

How do these things happen…


I still do not know how I get myself into these situations. A week ago, I was asked if I knew anyone that could replace a leaking hot water heater? Of course, I don’t know anyone that can install a hot water heater. What’s the problem? They got a price from someone for $1500.00! Fifteen hundred dollars? So I say, don’t do anything, let me check around. Of course, I still don’t know anyone that can install a hot water heater. So, I tell Norm about this conversation, and she says, you could do it. I say, no, I can’t. Norm gives me the look. So, the next day we stop by the ailing hot water heater and I take a photo of the old one and we drive off 47 miles to Home Depot. I find the one I think we need, secure a flat cart. Norm has gone off to some where unknown, so I am struggling to load it up on the cart when an employee comes from nowhere to help. I ask him, can you lay these heaters flat? No more then thirty minutes. Thirty minutes, I say it takes me almost an hour to get home. Norm finally shows up and after a lengthy discussion we leave the hot water heater. Our first trip to Home Depot. After some thought, we secured a trailer for our second trip to Home Depot, 47 miles one way. Day after next we zipped in and picked up hot water heater number one. Now that we had a heater, we had to find someone smarter than me to install it. Norm’s brother came to the rescue. We showed up with tools and heater, got the broken one out, unboxed the new one. After trying for some length of time to jam the new one in the space of the old one, there was just no way a short fat heater was going to fit. After some research, who knew that hot water heaters came in short and fat and tall and skinny? Trip number three, 47 miles back to Home Depot, which did not have any tall and skinny units. A no problem return and a trip across the highway to Lowe’s, which carries tall and skinny ones. The following day we threw the new unit in, made all of the connections and turned the water on. Yes, you guessed it, the only connection that I put together, started to leak. After a new and improved Teflon tape job, no leaks. Like I said, I don’t know how I get into these things…

A Black Robed Pastor???


TO ALL OF YOU IN AUTHORITY:

It’s time for you to wake up out of your fear and stop allowing yourself to be intimidated. Your cowardice has rendered you unfit to lead.

To the rest of us, it’s time to join the groundswell of hope, freedom and logic and stop stupidity from being imposed upon you, your family, your job and our nation.

It’s time for you take back your God given life – remember that? Your life belongs to God and no one else has that authority over you.

We are in the Last Days. Evil is loose and we must stand against it on all fronts! By doing so you will be letting your light shine before the men of this world, just as Jesus commanded. Pastor Jack Hibbs.

Almost uneventful, part two…


Unknown to all of us, when the right rear tire tread decided to go airborne, it took the fender with it. The fender’s departure left this trim piece rubbing the right front tire all the way home…
Hard to see in this photo, at first look it appeared bad, but the damage to the tire was minimal.
Never experiencing a blowout on a trailer, I was not sure how to source a replacement fender. After research, I found the right size, and after measuring three times I made the order. While waiting for the new fender, I watched some videos on installation and with an assist from our daughter finished the fender.
Three new tires and one new fender. The Disaster Relief supply trailer is back in operation…

Yet Another, Road Trip…


We think these are monks or something similar to them. I thought they were smoking. Didn’t know monks smoked. You never know what you will see in Gallup New Mexico…
This last thirty days we have been all over the temperature spectrum…
I can’t keep Norm away from cemeteries. This is a highway in the Oklahoma panhandle. Only one vehicle passed by in about ten minutes time…
We drove almost two thousand miles to watch this handsome guy play football in Kiowa Kansas. It was worth it!
We passed two very large feed lots. It’s really hard to hold your breath that long…
Mandatory mask wearing in New Mexico. We are trying to figure out how to eat our Chinese food while wearing our mandatory masks…???
We have stayed here many times over the years.

The ‘Only’ Psalm…


Psalm 62. The word only is significant in this Psalm. “Truly (better translated, only) my soul waiteth upon God…He only is my rock and my salvation…they only consult to cast him down…wait thou only upon God…He only is my rock.”

“Scarcely anywhere do we find faith in God more nobly asserted, more victoriously triumphant; the vanity of man, of human strength and riches, more clearly confessed; courage in the midst of peril more calm and more unshaken, than in this Psalm, which is as forcible in its conception, and its language, as it is remarkable for the vigorous and cheerful piety it breaths.” Perowne

Almost uneventful…


Just east of Tucson we lost the right rear tire and fender from the supply trailer we were towing back to Arizona. Like a rescue team, Eldon, Chip, Terry and Deb, pulled in behind to protect us from traffic..
This could be a government job with one fella working and three fellas watching. But Terry changed the tire with Chip and I assisting while Eldon checked our work…

A time to break down, a time build up….


One of the highlights of this mission trip has been the morning and evening devotions. I have to say that they sometimes can go off the rails and I see the white hat cringing. Not here, we have good devotions everyday.
Never ride out a hurricane in a mobile home!
We just had the best time with this couple today…
Just like dogs, horses like us too…
Same with cows, it would appear…
This little dog, not so much…
I think this is a lifeboat off a big ship.
I would not want to be in this thing with 63 others…
AZDR Mark is flying high in the Man Lift.

To Love Those


Great Blessings today thanks to Coteau Baptist Church and Pastor Wayne…
Hunter Irwin, awesome concert…
Yellow shirts filled the church. Sorry, weird photo.
No day off for the chainsaw team.
AZDR Deb performs a procedure on a saw as NMDR Josiah looks on…
Our lead Chaplain Sue waiting her turn on the sharpener. My roommate Terry is grinding a chain… On a personal note, my truck started to spew power steering fluid out on the ground like it hated the fluid. So I asked the first church member I saw, Dan, if he knew a mechanic I could talk to. God certainly brought me the right man. Dan had a connection through his son for the power steering hose and then introduced me to Dave, the mechanic. This afternoon, they came back with the part and fixed my truck. I wanted to pay them, both of them said no, your not paying! Blessed to be a child of God, blessed by children of God, and blessed by brothers in Christ.

God of my salvation…


Breakfast as our IC Mr. Ed from New Mexico watches over us…
Our teams have tarped the entire roof and spent a day and half working on the inside…
More rain
One of our SUV college student with RJ from a gator show, I think…
This nice man brought lunch for our group and sat down to explain to this young lady the difference between Gumbo and Jambalaya
A trailer loaded with fuel showed up. The tiny dead end street exploded with traffic. We were stuck/trapped for a while, but we enjoyed listening to all the people that showed up…
Even one of our SUV college boys got to pump some gas…
We are often asked what Chaplains do on a call out???
We spent the rest of the day cutting the legs off of sofas, and picking up shingles…

Marah…Bitter Waters…


Norm was across the road doing her Chaplain thing with a neighbor, while I did an assessment on the house behind me. No one was home so I sat down on the porch and looked around. The three shots, left, right and center is what you would see if this is your front porch. Everyday, trucks up and down, debris, contractors, scammers, scrappers and the smells, mold, garbage, dead things and the humidity. I believe humidity has a smell.

Saved…Not of Works…


There’s a squirrel in here somewhere…
First high point of the day is IC Leader, Ed from New Mexico, leads us with morning devotions. He always inspires us from God’s Word and baths us in prayer…
We dropped everything we were working on to deliver much needed repair supplies to our favorite Blue Cap, Eldon…
Hero Linemen working hard…
Driving on…Shrimpers Row. Sounds like the title to a TV show…

To each according to his own ability…


So many trees…
It seems at every hurricane we work, McDonalds always take a beating…
Pray for this church, they have no insurance. Pray that God will provide…
This is another badly damaged church. Our crew will tarp this church tomorrow. Norm sketched the building but I think she left the boat in the parking lot off of her drawing…
Utility lines are everywhere…
This is the street to the church…
I had to ask someone. It’s a draw bridge.

Transition Day, Hammond to Houma Louisiana…


Thanks to Woodland Baptist Church and Pastor Tim and all his flock. They were very gracious and interested in our DR work. I only wish we could have heard his message. Right after praise and worship an announcement was made that the Red Cross needed help serving lunches around the area. So off we went, driving 15 miles west to help two great Red Cross workers in Independence Louisiana.
Change of command in Hammond as White Hat John from Arkansas DR took charge…
Norm not only served meals, she prayed with people, about 7 altogether…
Another Chaplain showed up, Steve from the Salvation Army and he prayed with people…
I just had our power steering pump fixed and it is leaking again. I’m pretty sure that is why the truck is poorly parked…
The closer we got to Houma, the more severe was the damage. After arriving and getting our rooms situated, we headed out and visited 3 homes before dark …
Don’t know???
Blessing upon blessings have been pouring on us from Heaven. Just like that, out of nowhere comes an attack by the evil one. He used another Christian for that purpose! We prayed our hearts out, we sought wise council and we are blessed by a loving God. Heavenly Father, thanks be to You, all praise be to You for giving us the ability to serve You in this ministry. What a privilege, what a gift, what an honor. Thanks for giving us this time to be Your hands and feet here in Houma Louisiana. In the Name of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

For this God is our God for ever and ever…Ps. 48:14


There is no end to the things that fascinate Norm…
There is a tiny home beyond the trees. There is no job that Norm can’t draw…
Don’t know…
Norm kept one eye on this chicken as she sketched with the other…
Dogs love us. This is Bo, he loved us so much that he took off with my hat as we were praying…
Brings a new meaning to dry dock…
SRO for Arkansas football…This is our last working day in Hammond, based out of Woodland Baptist Church, serving the Arkansas Incident Command team. We have truly been blessed by our fellow DR workers and by the homeowners we have met. Thanks to Woodland and Pastor Tim for giving us a place to stay. All praise to God!!!

It’s All About…


This tree reminds me of people. God created all of us with a space on the inside, a hole in our hearts that He, God only, can fill…We look normal and maybe even healthy and fit on the outside, not so much on the inside.
This is the size of a typical street in Hammond! I guess they only had so much asphalt, they had to stretch it out. Narrow roads, closed for power poles and lines that need restored, finding our homes has and is a real challenge…
Norm’s favorite store!!!
Tree on house…
Many dog visits today. Dogs love us…

On The Job…


The heart of the Hammond area is the Arkansas Incident Command Center. We know a lot of these men and women from prior call outs. Norm is getting our work for the day…
Norm drawing for the chainsaw team…
No ice today…
Bummer
We drove 1625 miles because we had a divine appointment set by God to minister to and be ministered by this fantastic family. We are so blessed!!!
Root balls. We see a lot of root balls…
Bad one

Hurricane Ida…


Gearing up for this Sunday, we leave for Hammond Louisiana. We will be working as assessors/Chaplain team for the state of Arkansas (running the Incident Command). Our latest information on the area, power is starting to be restored, and some groceries stores are opening. Resupply run tomorrow and then an early start on the fifth…

God moves…


“We need to recognize that God moves in our lives as believers. We get occupied with men and things and circumstances, and we look at them in reference to our lives instead of walking with God. We do not live above our circumstances but under them, and then our circumstances weigh us down.” J Vernon McGee.

Psalm 39…


“The holy singer had long pent up his feelings; and though busy thoughts were stirring within him, he would not give them utterance. He could not bare his bosom to the rude gaze of an unsympathizing world. And he feared lest, while telling his perplexities, some word might drop from his lips which would give the wicked an occasion to speak evil against God. And when at last, unable to repress his strong emotion, he speaks to God and not to man, it is as one who feels how hopeless the problem of life is, except as seen in the light of God.” Dean Perowne, The Book of Psalms.

Gila Bend Arizona Day 8


This is how our day started. AZDR will go to any lengths to get a signed work order! Norm and I drove to Litchfield so our team could get started on one of our last homes
How many DR guys does it take to assemble a new shop vac? Ours gave up the ghost yesterday.
Our sleeping quarters. My bed is hidden by Norm’s huge air mattress…
DR Chaplain Mike found a hidden surprise in the wall…
New born kittens, from left, Chaplain Mike, Blue Hat Eldon, and our historian Mindy…
There is a long history to this “borrowed” trailer. It has certainly angered me in the past, just saying. It is now aptly named…
Patty supervising the complete cleaning of our flood recovery unit…

Gila Bend Arizona Day 7


Sun rise from the old gymnasium…
Everyday looks like this…
After some morning miscellaneous jobs, Norm and I got to start this home…
Home full of mud…
We think the water lifted up their fridge and laid it on it’s back on the floor…
See the changes?
Blue Hat Les, keeps us all in line…
We made this…
After a long day serving the Lord, Disaster Relief at it’s best. Rose from Lake Havasu and her husband John were first time volunteers. They worked hard and are great people…
The end of a long day…

Gila Bend Arizona Flood Day Two


Big change from yesterday…

We dodge heavy equipment and remediation work all day.
Dark line mid window is the water line…
Kitchen drawer full of mud…
I like trains, but they are annoying here. All of the jobs involve crossing these tracks. These are short trains either! I thought there’s a law about the length of trains. Guess I was wrong about that…

Gila Bend Arizona Day 1…


I sometimes think that a disaster brings out Jesus in people that don’t have Him. We hear good things in bad situations…
We are barely recovered from our work in Colorado, but God has given us the strength to start serving Him again in Gila Bend. We are based in the high school gym with the Red Cross and Salvation Army.
These roads look like dirt roads, but this is actually dried mud. The city is out in force clearing debris.
Massive debris pile that continued to grow all day. It is a terrible tragedy just on a smaller scale. It’s heartbreaking to see homes that are full of mud and mold. Norm prayed and used her Chaplain skills all day…