Heal Our Streets and Land

Build Your kingdom here

Let the darkness fear

Show Your mighty hand

Heal our streets and land

Set our church on fire

Win this nation back

Change the atmosphere

Build Your kingdom here

We pray

Song lyrics by Rend Collective Experiment

We sang this song in church this morning and I was really touched by it as it describes our country today. America is in total chaos. I am appalled by all the news reports of complete disregard for America and what it stands for. Tearing down statues of our history, removing the cross and Bible from a chapel on a university campus in Oklahoma (in America’s heartland!), ambushing our public safety workers, even bullying and bashing those who don’t believe what some think is the only way. Dear Lord, win your country back from the forces of evil. OK – now I am off the soap box, but I urge you to pray for God’s healing and restoration in our country.

We did not go to the colonias this last Friday as the fear of what was to come from Hurricane Harvey to our area. Also, the fact that Brenda, who so diligently serves to distribute the food from her yard was in the hospital with a kidney stone. Please pray that the stone passes without any surgery.

We were prepared for Harvey as our park manager left the hall area open for our safety if needed. All of the gates were open in case we had to evacuate. Needless to say, we were not affected at all. Friday brought some funny clouds and strange looking sky, but after that it was clear and sunny. Not even a drop of much needed rain. Please keep all of those in your prayers as Harvey is still creating havoc in the Houston area. Many folks without any homes, no place to go, no electricity or water. And shame on those who are gouging the residents for the needed supplies. One store was charging $99 for a case of bottled water. Satan is alive and well in this world today in the form of greed. The city of Rockport is totally demolished. Believers in Christ have faith and hope and know that out of this tragedy comes healing and restoration. Because we have faith we truly believe that – even though during the troubled times it is hard to be strong. Good gives us the strength and tool to get through trials and tribulations.

The sky s Harvey was in the Gulf before going ashore - we got some wind and only a spit of rain

                                          

dark clouds is all we saw 

as Harvey came ashore the following day, we had sun

no indication of the devastation farther up the coast line

   

Loaded a kitchen stove this afternoon that was donated to a family in need of one. Sort of a large almost industrial stove but the lady was so very happy. God finds and need, but He also provides.

                                               

a donated stove going to a well deserved family

Last in the series of church clichés this morning is “Only God can judge me”.  Is love always encouraging?? To love someone is to accept them just as they are. There is a difference between love and encouragement. Sometime love discourages.  Matthew 7:1-5 seems to indicate that God makes the final judgement. Do not judge or you will be judged. Do you realize that we receive the same judgement that we give? You need to take the splinter out of your eye first in order to judge with caution. How you judge will then be dealt out to you. Don’t judge according to appearances, judge with righteous judgement. Sit back and get a full picture of the issue first – take the splinter out of your eye.  You also need to judge with clarity. If you cannot see well, you make mistakes. Get yourself together first before you try to get someone else together. Judge with comparison – you will be judged as you judge others. Recognize the brokenness first, seeing the beauty beyond the brokenness. Judge and accept judgement with gentleness. We all have logs in our eyes – without Christ we cannot see clearly.

Continue to pray for all of those in distress as a result of Harvey. Do not judge actions until you know what the reasons for the actions were.