Katrina One Year Later

A year ago when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast I was enjoying the heat and sunshine of Central Kentucky as we celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary. Having lived in Florida, we were keenly aware of the potential of this storm as we watched the news reports before it came ashore. However,we could not conceive the level of devastation that would strike Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The television reports played out live images of natural destruction previously reserved for newspapers the morning after, or video reports that were taped only to be shown later. Live television and the Internet made this a disaster like no other. Katrina became like the Viet Nam war. It was the first war played out on the nightly news with images of body bags and body counts we had not seen previously. Katrina was the first full fledged natural disaster in the United States to receive wall to wall coverage as it was actually happening.

Who can forget the human sea standing outside the Superdome just wanting water and a way out of the city, or those countless images of people standing on rooftops as floodwaters rose to record levels, and the dead bodies pushed to the side in make shift morgues. The images of children separated from parents and the countless stories of families who were split apart by the storm are still very painful. It was a tragedy of biblical proportions.

I realize there is still quite a lot of work to be done along the Gulf Coast. It would be very naive to expect life to return to normal only one year after such devastation. The internal collapse of state and local governments and the slow response of federal disaster infrastructures has been well documented. A lot of people got caught unprepared. And the storm's destruction was at a level beyond anything previously experienced by those who handle such disasters. The blame game hurled between politicians from Washington to New Orleans did little to improve the situation. It never does. Hungry people have never been impressed by heated discussions,or the isolated grandstanding famous actor or musician who flew in to hold a news conference decrying conditions in which they are not trained and equipped to assess and handle. All the hungry really want is food. All the victims of Katrina wanted was help.

There is still a lot that needs to be done and much of the destruction will never be repaired or restored. Many are still displaced from their homes. The flow of aid funds has hit its fair share of roadblocks and much of the trauma will be with the victims for the rest of their lives. However, we cannot let this suffocate and maime the outpouring of love, money, blood, food, water, clothes, housing, medical and disaster response that has and continues to be donated! Much of it was from the Christian community. Help came from a variety of denominations and churhces as well as para-church organizations. No one questioned or debated theological differences, we simply did what God called us to do, help people in the name of Christ. From trained, national and global ministry disaster relief units that were on site and operational within hours, to the countless number of mission teams from local churches across America, including our's, who gave their time and talents to the relief, clean up and rebuilding efforts, God's people responded!

I believe Katrina brought out the best in America, her people and those of her citizens who also by the grace of God, claim heavenly citizenship in the eternal kingdom of God.

As we move through this national disaster anniversary, let's take time to reflect, remember and pray. Let's remember the many unsung heroes who chose to be part of something larger than themselves. Thank God for their commitment and dedication. Thank God for those celebrities who genuinely used their fame to call attention to the crisis and solicited help, many of them who even shunned the personal limelight to get the word out. Let's remember those who are still displaced, living in temporary housing, struggling with medical conditions, lost jobs, financial crisis and the loss of loved ones. May God be their comfort and portion! May God bless them in ways beyond their imagination through the hands of His servants so that He may receive glory and no one else! May God bring unity among politicians, scientists, engineers, contractors and others who still have an enormous job on their hands and need our prayers more than they need our criticism. May God reveal truth where needed in the ongoing evaluation of who received aid and who did not. May He reveal truth in any plans of deceit and personal gain related to the relief and rebuilding efforts. Let's thank God for the countless, nameless people who have given in any way to help others, especially those foreign countries who came to our aid.

And let's ask God to continually pierce our hearts for the wounded, hurting, broken and needy in our own back yards, who were suffering even before Katrina and desperately need our ongoing help and the love of Christ! Psalm 33:12 is often misquoted by those who worship their nation instead of God. It says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" The "nation" in this text are the people of God, a spiritual nation, not one confined to a geographic border. May we seek to expand the spiritual nation through acts, words and deeds of love that bear the character of our Savior!

Thanks Mrs. Head, For Your Gift to Me and the World

Last week I trek'd across three states just in time to make the funeral visitation for a treasured friend's mother. After scrambling to change my weekday plans, reschedule and cancel some appointments I hit the road winding through Atlanta, onto Chattanooga, up to Nashville and over to West Kentucky. When I got to to the funeral home and hugged my friend, it was overwhelmingly clear to me why I had gone and why I wanted to be there. As much as I love to write and read, there are some life experiences and moments that are beyond description. This was one of them.

I served on a pastoral team with my friend, David and years ago while serving a state denomination office in Kentucky, he was also my pastor. One thing I remember about the time he served as my pastor-----He was always there for us! Whether to hold my hand, cry together, share a meal together and a laugh, or just let me vent, he was there. In my view that's the mark of a great shepherd and pastor. Someone who opens the window of their soul and lets you peer in, as you open your own window. This mutual vulnerability is what separates those who want to "look" like a pastor from those who really do have the heart of a pastor. There is a connection and when you connect it makes their preaching and teaching come alive because they are speaking out of a relationship, not like some "hired gun" preacher who rolls in town to offer you his greatest hits and then hits the road, never letting you get to know the real person. Through the years my friend and I have opened the window so many times that we don't have to say anything at times because we simply know what the other is experiencing, feeling or thinking. You see, I trust him and he trusts me.

David is deeply passionate about helping people develop a biblical worldview. He is equally passionate about his own walk with God. He is a musician, soul poet, writer, teacher, mentor, and confidant to those who've really taken the time to get to know him over meals or long conversations outside the church facilities. He does not "cut and run" either. David's sense of humor is so very large, a testimony to his mother, but it also explains how he can be a friend t o someone like me. He doesn't take himself too seriously, and has never had to be seen or viewed as "the pastor," as some in ministry do. He's authentic. He also knows how to speak the truth in love, which makes some people extremely nervous because they can't "play the game" with David. I have watched him weep and ache in private over the soul condition of many people, couples and church members. That is the mark of an authentic shepherd. Like me, he's a narrative kind of guy, but when you hear him preach/teach you can look back over the notes in your bible and see he's left you with more than a cute story and a joke. He's broken the Bread of Life and invited you to feast on the living Word! And before I finish, no he's not perfect, and he's never claimed to be. He is able to share his own struggles as well as his victories. I don't know about you, but I don't want a shepherd who has the need to always be right or perfect.

I met David's mom a few times over the years, but was never close to her. I didn't have to be. I had her son. People don't just grow up and fall in love with Christ and His church over night. They don't instinctively decide to serve others and invest their lives in ministry while many others choose to chase the Golden Goose and material wealth. Somewhere along the way, God uses His first choice instrument (people) to communicate and model the Gospel. In Acts we find God using Peter, John and Paul. God used Peggy to show David and his brother the way. Her life was a roadmap to God. She and David's Dad faithfully served God in their church and poured Jesus into their boys without shoving. Their simple and quiet lives of servanthood modeled something that neither of the boys could capture on screen or by reading.

Peggy's servant heart, joy in the Lord and passion for worship were so evident in her funeral. As a pastor, I've done many funerals over the years and most of them for Christ-followers. Very few, have had the celebratory, praise and passion to giving God glory in the midst of profound grief and pain like Peggy's. Her funeral did not dismiss grief, loss and pain, but like the writer in Lamentations, recognized and celebrated the powerful presence of God in the middle of such pain:

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lam. 3:22-23)

After attending the funeral, the psalmists words in Psalm 116:15 kept ringing in my head over and over: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." How precious last week must have been to the Lord when Peggy Head came home!

Mrs. Head thank you for your service, passion and a life of faithfulness. But most of all, thank you for your gift to the church, the cause of the Gospel, the world and to me, your son, David. You enriched and blessed my life with his presence. What a gift!

What Do We Do With Maurice?

According to a recent AP story, former Ohio State University football star, Maurice Clarett has fallen, again:

(Wednesday, August 9, 2006 8:00 a.m.) "COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Maurice Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on the former Ohio State running back and finding four loaded guns in his truck, a police spokesman said.

Officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after a stun gun was ineffective because the former Fiesta Bowl star was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Sgt. Michael Woods said."

You may remember Clarett, who scored the winning touchdown in double overtime to help the Buckeyes win the NCAA national championship in 2002. Not only could he flat out fly on the field, but his hard-hitting style gave opposing defensive coordinators fits. Clarett didn't return in 2003 because he was suspended after being charged with a misdemeanor. He dropped out of school and sued the NFL in 2004 to have his name put in the draft. He lost the lawsuit. In 2005 the Denver Broncos took a chance and drafted him in the third round, but he never made the team and was cut before the season began.

According to the AP story, Clarett was already awaiting trial on,"two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of robbery and one count of carrying a concealed weapon in a separate case. Authorities said he was identified by witnesses as the person who flashed a gun and robbed two people in an alley behind the Opium Lounge in the early hours of Jan. 1."

From the choices he's made at only 22 years of age, it would seem that Clarett would rather wear a jail jumpsuit instead of a college, or NFL uniform. His choices beg numerous questions:

1) Why was he wearing a bullet proof vest?
2) Where are the recruiters and coaches who camped on his doorstep to recruit him in high school and road his back to a national championship? Or, has he refused their attempts or offers for help?
3) Why would you waste so much God-given talent?
4) Did anyone ever explain to him that everyone, even star athletes face consequences for their actions?
5) Did he ever give anyone permission to ask him the hard questions and hold him accountable?

Clarett's OSU media picture from the 2002 season and his most recent arrest picture should be posted side by side in every high school locker room in America. Students need to know that there are consequences for the choices we make and no one is above the law.

Former NBA all-star Charles Barkley may have been right when he launched a controversy years ago during his playing years by saying that he was not a hero, but an athlete. From Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry to Marcus Vick, the list of fallen all-star athletes is long and growing. Some fall to drugs, others to crime and violence. Headlines, blogs and news reports continue to tell the ongoing saga of professional athletes and performance enhancing drugs. From the Tour de France to major league baseball no sport seems to have escaped this growing scandal.

But what about Maurice? At 22, he's just slightly older than my own son. He's got so much life left to live. Who's going to invest in the vast and dormant potential deep within his soul? Will someone help him learn from his mistakes and challenge him to encourage emerging generations not to choose the path he has chosen?

His story should help parents, coaches, ministers, and teachers remind students that their value is not rooted in athletic talent, their IQ, or their socioeconomic origin, but within their very own person. My grandmother was big on recognizing that even the most degenerate in society have the capacity for good and that there's something redeeming within every single one of us. It may be hard to find and require cultivation, but it is there deep within. I believe that because as a Christ-follower, I believe God created every single person in His image, and as fallen and depraved as all of us may be, we do not have to let depravity shape our lives, but can relinquish them to someone and a cause far greather than ourselves----the Kingdom of God.

I pray Maurice Clarett isn't thrown away like junk. I pray a church, ministry or Christian will connect with him and help him discover God's purpose for his life, which is way beyond what he can do with a football or a gun. I pray his story will be used to wake up kids who appear to be headed down his life path. I pray that those of us working with students will heed and act on early warning signs of potential trouble. And I pray that all of us will realize human heroes of any shape, size and background have clay feet. May God help us to point people to the only perfect, sinless and uncondtionally loving hero the world has ever known, Jesus Christ!

Mr. Gibson, I'm Praying

Racism, bigotry, and prejudice of any kind cannot be supported by Christians or Jews. It is in complete conflict with our most sacred words and doctrine. Howecver, both are replete with the mandate to not only seek personal forgiveness, but to grant it to others.

By now all of us have heard the hour by hour reports about Mel Gibson's arrest for DUI and the media frenzy that followed with his apology and the counter accusations or commentary from various religious groups, Jewish and Christian leaders.

Father Jonathan Morris, a regular commentator on the Fox blog and consultant on the set of Gibson's blockbuster, The Passion, has addressed this matter as someone who personally knows Mel Gibson and speaks for a significant segment of the Christian community. His entire comments on the subject can be found at www.foxnews.com/fatherjonathan. His closing remarks are not the remarks of a blindly loyal friend, but of someone who is trying to practice the Judeo-Christian mandate and ethic of forgiveness and accountability. He writes:

"Mel’s deplorable comments came from somewhere. In his inebriated state, he revealed what was on his mind in a given moment. Together with Mel, I condemn his statements about Jewish people and say they are not true. But I praise him for what is on his mind now, in cold and reflective sobriety, as expressed in his first apology and his subsequent letter to the Jewish community. Now is a time for forgiveness. Mel has asked for it. We should give it."

Gibson's struggle with alcohol is nothing new. By his own admission in countless interviews leading up to The Passion and beyond he is a compulsive. This is not big news to the rest of us who struggle with some type of compulsive behavior, whether it be perfection, shopping, cleanliness, gambling, smoking, over-eating, etc. During the days leading up to the release of The Passion, I expected something like this to happen. Those of us connected with the ministry of recovery know full well that compulsives who are not participating in an ongoing process of recovery are in the words of a friend in recovery ministry, "one step away from stupid."

If Christians and Jews cannot offer forgiveness to Mr. Gibson, then every one of us needs to stop seeking God's unconditional grace and forgiveness. If Jews and Christians cannot practice forgiveness then we need to remove Psalm 51 and Matthew 18:21ff from our respective Bibles, not to mention the countless biblical pleas to God: "forgive the sins of your servant; forgive the sins of your people; forgive my sin; forgive their sins; forgive their wickedness", etc.

Gibson's statement can be found at: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/07/29/gibson.statement/index.html

The remarks and comments attributed to Mr. Gibson at the time of his arrest are indeed reprehensible, damning, vitrolic and mean-spirited. So are racists or prejudicial remarks made daily in complete sobriety toward Arabs, women, "Yankees", "Rednecks", Hispanics, Asians , African Americans, opposing schools, and on and on. How dare we dismiss, or rationalize our own prejudices by taking pleasure in Mr. Gibson's? Jesus said we need to get the log out of our own eye before we focus on the toothpick in our brother or sister's eye. I didn't say it was easy and without struggle. But if we're going to practice Judaism, or Christianity, we must love people, all people and leave judgement to God and the civil authorities charged with that responsibility.

For some time God has been telling me over and over, "love people Monty, love people." Funny, He says it more often when I'm around people who are very different from me in terms of culture/country of origin, skin color and ethnic background. I think He means it! No, I know He means it because His Palestinian-born, dark skinned, Aramaic-speaking, Jewish son died to show it.

Mr. Gibson, I'm praying for you. Your recovery, your walk, your talk and the reconciliation that needs to take place between you and the Jewish community. I'm praying you'll have the courage to admit when you are wrong and to seek deeper understanding and the respect of those you previously and perhaps even subconciously condemned. I'm praying that the spotlight on you will be dimmed long enough for you to have some time and space to work on your recovery and your family. I am praying for your family who (like mine in the past) are paying for an attitude, behavior and remarks they did not choose.

Mr. Gibson, I'm still thanking God (regardless of the motivation and critics) that you had the courage to tell the story of Jesus in a way that has never been told before and launched discussions, articles, blogs, books and a global conversation about Jesus that no church , or denomination could accomplish on its own. I'm thankful that you didn't physically hurt yourself, or someone else last weekend. I'm praying, as I do for myself every day, that when you are all alone with God you will find peace. I'm praying that my own attitudes, behavior, words and actions will reveal a love for others that is not humanly possible. I'm praying for Christians and Jews alike, to personally reflect and think about the implication and impact of our comments and actions before we make them.

Matt 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (from New International Version)


Finally, I'm thanking God for His all too generous forgiveness and His patience with a deeply flawed, all too human pastor who is always, "one step away from stupid."