Excellent Article

I just read this article in World magazine. It has some very thought-provoking insights about the destruction of New Orleans and the demise of other cities throughout history. It's interesting to think about how easily everything we take for granted can be taken away. That's why we can't depend on anything of this world for our security.

Goodbye, Astroworld

For those of you who don't live in Houston or haven't been paying attention, :-) Astroworld will officially close its doors at the end of October. Apparently, the rising land value and declining attendance have made it foolish for the owners to not sell the property. Now, I'm not one to be nostalgic about amusement parks, or anything for that matter, but it is a bit sad since the park has been a Houston fixture for so long. I've actually only been there once, and it wasn't the best experience. I rode five roller coasters in a row, including the Texas cyclone which I thought was going to kill me. After that, I ate a bit of lunch, went on a combination swinging/spinning ride, then promptly threw up in a bush. Oh, yeah, that was fun. When I got home that night, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck! My mother said, "And you paid money for this?!?!"

As my father is fond of saying: "Too soon old, too late smart."

Titus 2 Friendships

My church is starting a new program this fall that is designed to help women follow the principle of older women teaching the younger, as described in Titus 2. They'll be matching women up to basically be friends for the year. I think it's a great idea and will help the different ages of women to get connected with each other. It got me to thinking, though, that it's really a little sad that this is necessary. The reality of our modern lives is that we tend to not get out of our circle of peers, and it takes an organized, official effort to make it happen.

I think it takes quite a bit of self-sacrifice to build relationships with those outside of our age group. The young women have to be willing to slow down a little and have the humility to listen to the counsel of older, wiser, more experienced women. The older women, for their part, have to reject the attitude that they've earned their peace and quiet and shouldn't have to help young people with their foolish problems.

Even though you may not have as much in common, relationships with older and younger people can be a great blessing. I think it's healthiest to have friends of all different ages.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We've had some beautiful blooms in our yard lately. Three red roses are one example. We also have a row of hibiscus bushes that are taller than the six-foot fence! We had a visit from a butterfly, too.
One thing I do like about the Houston weather and seasons is that we have lots of flowers almost year round. There's always something to be thankful for!

Skateboard Lesson

Just in case you always wondered exactly how those skateboard tricks are accomplished, Google's ehow has very detailed instructions. I like step 8: "Come back down." :-)

Or, if fine dining is more up your alley, they have tips for that too.

Birthday Party

We celebrated Becca's ninth birthday on Saturday. Here's the birthday girl! The pie has either a "9" or a "b" depending on which way you look at it. :-) Beware of the birthday smoke:
We all had a great time!

Pondering the Storm

It's been extremely sobering this week to hear about Hurricane Katrina and all the aftermath. It's such a huge tragedy with extremely far-reaching effects. Because so many people have come here to Houston, I feel like I'm closer to this sort of crisis than anything I've ever experienced before. I was at a nearby church today that has been set up as a shelter. They actually couldn't take any more volunteers because they already had so many, but we got to spend a little bit of time talking with a few of the people. My mother and several of my siblings were there yesterday also. We met families who had lost absolutely everything. It was especially heartbreaking to hear their experiences of literally fearing for their lives. After spending nights on bridges and going through unspeakable things, they were thankful to finally be in a safe place. Now, they are faced with the reality of needing to start over from scratch. Several of the people we met doubt that they'll ever be able to return to their homes.

I also met a young woman who was in a considerably different situation because she was able to stay with family and is pretty well off financially. But even she doesn't know when or if she'll be able to return. Even if her home can be salvaged, she doesn't know if she'll have a job. She said it's strange to think of herself as a refugee, and she's the cleanest homeless and jobless person she's ever heard of!

It's hard for me to even fathom the overnight and nearly complete destruction of an entire city. We take so many things for granted, and we really never know when the things we depend on may be taken away. I keep thinking, "It could have happened here."

It will be interesting to see what an impact there will be on our city. Of all places, Houston is probably one of the most capable of absorbing that many people. We have the space, the infrastructure, and probably the job market to handle it, but it will still have a big impact.

I've been thinking also that we have suddenly had a huge mission field arrive right on our doorstep. Thousands upon thousands of people with huge needs are right here, and there are so many opportunities to show the love of Christ to them. It's overwhelming in a way, but if each of us does what we can, we can make a huge difference. I know God has a purpose in it all, and He is in control.