Just Me and the Lord

by jedobber Recently I visited with one of our new friends who attends Central frequently, Miss Nellie. At worship, Nellie is quiet and friendly with a big smile. I didn't know quite what to expect when we visited with her in her home - and I certainly did not know the blessing she would be to us. What a joyful woman she is! I talked to her about her experience with Katrina. The flooding in her neighborhood, north of Hwy 90 in Pascagoula, was minimal. She said that water kept coming in under the front door and she just swept it back out. Only that room suffered damage and some furniture had to be replaced. We sat on a couch and chair that was provided by the Central Church of Christ. Nellie said, "It was just me and the Lord here...and we swept that water back," and then she let loose with a giant laugh and hands clapping with joy. This grandmother faced a giant by herself and lived to laugh about it. A tree did fall in front of her door and she was unable to escape without being let out, but that all turned out well. Nellie also told us that alcohol killed her husband almost 20 years ago, and she figured that she was next. So, she laid all of her sinful ways aside and gave her life to the Lord. The old van she has been driving has finally died on her. Nellie has been ill recently, so I hope she's feeling well enough to be our guest tomorrow at services. *** Thanks for your comments (both on and off of the blog) yesterday. I hesitated a bit on that one, wanting to be sure that everyone knew that I did not suffer a sour disposition because of the troubles we have faced. I hope that was communicated. *** Remember! We are bombarded now with remembrances of Katrina. Specials on all of the major networks are sure to be available via DVD in a few weeks, for a price. New photo books showing current progress are sure to hit the market. Sunday night there will be an interdenominational service at the War Memorial Stadium with all of the churches in town. The stadium will be filled with grateful people who are bound together by one common bond: Katrina. I'm sure there will be many thanksgivings offered for the volunteers who have helped us, the God who has blessed us, and the spirit of our community that wants to help each other rebound. As for Central, this Sunday I intend to celebrate. God has turned our mourning into dancing. Joy was to be found in the morning, and we now know that God has been working through the tragedy to redeem lost men and women and bring them unto himself. Yes, there are plenty of things to feel down about ... lots of work yet to be done ... but it is never too early to say THANK YOU, GOD! When the ocean swallowed our city, God was immovable. *** About the landfall of Ernesto - the irony is not lost on anyone on the Coast. August 29, the infamous day of Katrina's landfall now may be revisited in a traumatic way for some Gulf Coast Community. Prayers and preparation need to be made at this time. Water, food that doesn't have to be cooked, flashlights and batteries, blankets, and other supplies can be gathered now and taken to the storm landfall site. Right now Ernesto is simply too far out to know where he will go. The computer models have him going anywhere from Southwest Louisiana to Pensacola, Florida. But time will remedy that. Anywhere in the Katrina/Rita zone will be twice the disaster it normally would have been. Thousands of campers will likely be destroyed - the temporary homes of those stranded without homes from a year ago. Even this week we found out about a man who still lives in an abandoned VAN. No FEMA camper yet. Emotionally, it's tough. Phyically, it's devastating. The next three days are going to present a significant challenge for someone. *** On a personal note, our son John Robert, has been diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. He was bitten by a tick when on a rafting trip in Tennessee a month ago. Thankfully, the antibiotics are working already and the spotting is disappearing. Gary and Pam Dobbs are my brother and his wife in Bay City, Texas. Their son, Garrett, had a hernia operation yesterday. All went well, and we are thankful. He is four years old. Since our daughter married and moved into her home with her husband, along with Claire, we have missed having our grandaughter around. The Hollands (Nicole and Robert) left this weekend to retrieve some furniture from Atlanta, so we get to be real grandparents this weekend. That has been fun. We took Claire to see MONSTER HOUSE... a cute movie even I enjoyed (and I am a movie snob!). *** I'm ready to start scheduling another road trip for "thank you" and "update" type message, along with slides. It will be toward the end of September, early October timeframe. If you would like for me to visit your congregation, I will have a limited amount of slots open ... contact me at my e-mail address HERE and let me know...I'll see what we can work out. *** I hope you have a great Lord's Day. I look forward to sharing more of our story in Pascagoula with you, as we approach the anniversary of Katrina...and beyond. Thanks for reading.