August 9, 2010

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Back in 2005 I had the privilege of responding with the NC Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief group to Meridian Mississippi after Katrina struck. Any time we go out on a relief there are always miracles that happen. This is one of my favorite and I love telling it over and over. If you’ve heard it before, maybe you need to hear it again. God is awesome and we need to tell of his wonderful works over and over. I have to praise Jesus for what he has done. I know many of you were praying for me that week when we were in Mississippi. One of the best indicators of that were the miracles he did. I want to share one with you this week. I was assigned to the maintenance crew and on Labor Day Sunday we had the hose to our steam pressure washer blow out. Without that instrument we would be nearly shut down in our ability to clean the hundreds of cooking pans and Canbros we send the food out in. The other maintenance person and I jumped in his truck and headed out to find a replacement. Keep in mind, two NC boys in a town neither had ever been in that had been hit by a hurricane, no map and no idea where they were going. The pressure washer is a “Hotsy” and we knew we would need that brand hose to replace the one broken. After several futile stops it became clear there was no “Hotsy” dealer in Meridian Mississippi. So we did the only thing left to do. He drove, and I prayed. My prayer was as simple as our need. “Lord, this is your work and your organization. You know our need for a hose and you know where one is. Lead us to it. We can’t go back without it or the whole operation will be shut down.. Thank you Lord for answering this prayer. Amen” We came over a little hill (and I mean little, this isMississippi, you-all) and there was a fire department. It was Fire Central for the entire city. A man was standing in the open door and I said, “Let’s ask him.” We did and he thought a moment and then said, “Wait just a minute.” He went inside and came out with another man. We shared our need and he grinned and said, “I think I might be able to help you fellows. Follow me.” He jumped in his truck and we whizzed through the city to the municipal garage. As it turned out, the man was in charge of the garage and they had a “Hotsy” pressure washer they used to clean engines. He took the hose off and handed it to us and said, “Use it as long as you want.” What are the chances that the head of city maintenance would be hanging out with the boys shooting the fat at the fire department we stopped at on Labor Day Sunday? God knew, and he ordained we would find that department at that moment and have our need met. I believe miracles are any event, divine or natural, whose timing can only be credited to Gods working. Because you were praying for us, God worked miracle after miracle just like this one to keep our feeding unit operating and our people safe. Thank you for your prayers as we joined God in meeting the needs of so many suffering from hurricane Katrina. Your share in that ministry was greatly felt and observed.

Thought for the week: Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. -- Dr. Seuss

Funny for the week: Where did our innocence go?

On the way back from a Cub Scout meeting, my grandson innocently said to my son, 'Dad, I know babies come from mommies' tummies, but how do they get there in the first place?' After my son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally spoke up in disgust, 'You don't have to make up something, Dad. It's okay if you don't know the answer.'

Smart kid ! ………..Chaplain Barnes

Last week’s answer: Who asked the following question: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” The wise men (or Magi) (Matt. 2:2)

This week’s question: Complete the following quotation of Jesus with two words: “Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as _____ _____, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”