Temporarily Closed...No, not the blog!

There are a few minutes left of Thursday, so I decided I better get in a blogpost! A lot of things have happened over the past few days, and I often think "I need to blog about that." But by the end of the day they are just dusty memories that I am unable to retrieve. I've been to two funerals in the past several days. One was an elderly lady in our church, Leola. She was a dignified lady who always had a smile on her face, even though she faced significant health problems. I was able to share a few thoughts at her funeral, and was grateful for that opportunity. Her husband is suffering a great loss after 60 years. I cannot even imagine what he must be feeling. Today I attended the funeral, a son-in-law of one of our members. He suffered tremendously over the past few years with dibilitating health problems. I really did not know him, but I was moved to tears by the tribute of his step-daughter during the service. Also, I had never met the preacher, but I could understand how his church must love him, from the message he delivered today. Central's hurricane relief effort is closed until around September 17th. Volunteers have slowed down quite a bit, but we are getting calls daily about those who are planning to come and help soon. We have not outgrown our devastation here on the Coast, but recovery is slowly happening with the help of volunteers and the grace of God. We are temporarily closed, but have a crew from Hope Missions to get us kicked off when we open back up on the 17th! Out Here Hope Remains ... the podcast ... has slipped to #9 at Godcast! Now I really do not have any great interest in this, but it is fun to watch it happen. To out-run the competition I need to have 9 visitors tomorrow. Right now I have my Sunday sermons on there, but I hope to do more with it as time goes by. The tropics are quiet, and I am thankful. I know, there's Florence, but it looks as if she will be no threat to land. There are tropical waves, but so far no other named storms. Well, it's getting late. I really do thank you for checking in. I'll have something new tomorrow...probably! Links for Today: Please Be Sure To Read This Post from Larry James. He is calling upon the community of bloggers to help him with the Central Dallas Ministry. We can all do a small part....and if enough of us do, we can accomplish a big dream. Read about it! Several Hundred Illinois Homes Flooded. Montana Fire Burns Homes. Florence Nears Bermuda. New World Trade Center Plans Unveiled. Shrimp Boats Pulled Out of Bayou La Batre after One Year. 9-11 Reflections. DRUGS: 17 Drug Pushers Arrested. Drug Problem Growing. Ruleville High School Football Player Paralyzed. Faith Stronger After Katrina. Jim Martin ponders the importance of replenishing ourselves. John Alan Turner contemplates religious experiences. Keith Brenton turns out a poetic post with plenty to think about. Dee Andrews posts about inspirational lives that change our lives.