Rain, Fire, Clouds, and Sunshine

This afternoon brought big thunder booms and heavy rain to Pascagoula. The picture is taken from the front porch of the Central Church of Christ about 5:30 p.m. - long before dark. I'm reminded of the old positive statement that the sun is always shining above the clouds, and that is an encouragement. It is an encouragement in church work and relief work as well. We certainly face our fair share of 'dark clouds'. Misinformation, gossip, half-truths, and outright lies have been told all along the way. It is fairly disheartening to hear from someone a statement that begins with those awful words, 'I heard ....'. Or even worse, 'We will not come down and help you because we heard ...' I think there is a dual responsibility here. The first responsibility is that we should not be passing along this kind of misinformation based upon faulty observations. Scripture is clear that the tongue is a fire that needs to be tamed. The other responsibility is upon the hearer. I do not have to receive gossip as true. In fact, I think it is probably our responsibility to the bearer of gossip to reprove them and let them know that we do not care to receive that kind of information. Recent "I heard ..." statements that have come to me are: "I heard that Central uses instruments in the assembly." (Never have.) "I heard that Central has a female song leader." (My son would beg to differ! He did have really long hair for a while, but no one mistook him for a girl!) "I heard that Central's relief effort is being operated by a non-profit organization and cannot even spend their own money." (Now who would agree to an arrangement like that?) There are others, but those serve to illustrate the point. When in question, call. As this relates to Central and the operation here, it is very easy to find out what you would like to know. A call or an e-mail is very simple to accomplish. Both my phone number and David Kilbern's are to be found on our website located HERE. As this subject relates to this blog, please understand that this blog was not created as a source of hurricane relief information. It BECAME that after Katrina, but ultimately it was my take on what was going on. The opinions expressed here are not the opinions of the Central Church of Christ. In fact, given the diversity of our congregation I doubt that anyone could claim to speak for every person's beliefs. But I do maintain the privilege to 'speak my mind' here on the blog. It's a voluntary read, and everyone reads it willingly! It is easy to make leaps of 'logic' when we feel critical toward another group of people. It is always best to clear up these kinds of things with a call or a visit, rather than simply believe the words of someone else. Sometimes that someone else seems credible and trustworthy, but that does not mean they know what they are talking about. As I said, the sunshine is there. I will always say that we have met the best people in the world. We continue to be blessed with work crews coming down (and we could use some more skilled workers, honestly). We have recieved funding. Gifts have come in at just the right time. Souls have been saved. The assembly is populated each week with guests from our community. We have seasoned evangelists who will make their way to Pascagoula in the coming months to help us reach the lost. I have friends who tell me that they read the blog every day, and that makes me feel good. I do not think there is any way to squash all rumors. They are more interesting than the truth sometimes. There will always be those who live in a fantasy world who like to make up things and pass them on as truth. And God will take care of everything in the last day. But on this rainy afternoon I just wanted to point out one of the many difficulties that we face from time to time. Sometimes these kinds of things have big consequences. At other times they are simply a nuisance. But in all, God's will cannot be thwarted. 'There is sunshine in my soul today!' LINKS Tropical Depression Eight a Hurricane By Friday? Washington Wildfire Threatens Rural Community. Florence Weakens, Gordon Gains Strength. Neither are a threat to the U. S. mainland. Most Katrina Evacuees In Houston Plan To Stay There.