Thoughts Along the Journey

For so many people across the U.S. and around the world, the events of last May 4 have faded into the fog of the past. For myself, and anyone else familiar with what has happened since then, the story is still unfolding. And it is very much a part of TODAY. It's current news. On the night of May 4, 2007, the town of Greensburg, KS, took a direct hit from a EF-5 tornado. 95% of the town was completely destroyed. The other 5% may have survived, but there was still damage. Though a small town by many standards (pop. 1,500), it is still mind-boggling to think of an entire town being destroyed. The town wasn't the only place to be hit, either. There were other areas in the community (farms, homes, etc.) that were hit by that tornado or others that went through the area on May 4th and 5th. Thankfully, few lives were lost. Sadly, hundreds of people were left without ANYTHING. Their homes, cars, businesses, belongings, and the businesses that provided the basic necessities for the comm...

Laura Spradlin of El Dorado, KS, has started a project she calls "Rebuilding Greensburg--Block by Block". She is collecting 8" bias garter stitch afghan squares. The afghans will be donated to Greensburg residents this fall. So, if you know anyone who knits or crochets, please let pass along this information! For more information, see her blog: Sugar Bunny Boulevard The left sidebar has the information you need. She is specifically asking for the squares, but NO MONEY. THANK YOU, LAURA!!!

How DARE these people call themselves Christians??? "Church Protests Storm Victim's Funeral" May God have mercy on their souls...

This picture says more about the people of Greensburg than any words of my own. Yesterday, a community church service was held. The tent they erected wasn't large enough to seat everyone who showed up. One news source estimated there were close to 3,000 people at the service. This is in a town whose population before the tornado was around 1,600. People from Greensburg and the surrounding communities came. Former residents, in town to help with the clean up, came. Family members, friends... Each pastor in town had a chance to share some words of encouragement or a song. I saw my parents' pastor on ABC News. She was preaching words of hope. Mom said one minister sang, "It Is Well With My Soul." On the news, I heard them singing, "Holy Ground." This is what the people of Greensburg are made of. Strong, courageous, loving people who know how to "pick themselves up by their bootstraps" and go on, even after the entire town was demolished by one of the ...

I have made up a flier, which you can print and distribute. It has all the information that people need for donating to Greensburg. It's a Word document. Please e-mail me if you want a copy, and I'll send it along. If you need it in another format, e-mail me, and I'll see what I can do. Thanks!

President Bush visited Greensburg yesterday. He got to see the devastation firsthand. I wish the news media had taken more time to focus on his visit there...but, alas, they didn't. If you happened to see any clips on TV, you might have seen my dad! He was standing right behind the president. Actually, Dad got to meet the president, too. Someone asked if President Bush would like to meet a Kansas farmer. My dad happened to be standing there...so he was the farmer that got to meet the president! They talked about farm issues, etc. But the neatest thing happened after that. President Bush asked if there was anything else Dad would like to talk to him about. Dad began sharing with him about how important it is to be ready for the Lord's return. He said the president was moved to tears. I don't know the exact words of President Bush's response, but the gist was this: Keep telling people that message! Wow. On another note, yours truly was interviewed by Cleveland's Chann...