is the ‘g’ a hard g or a soft ‘g’?

Peace and prayers, my friend
Neva

Thanks for your comment and your encouraging words for us all! As for the Mississippi and Louisiana ruins, I have to say this. The ruins are way too vast for the government to be able to do anything useful about it to be perfectly honest. The Mississippi gulf coast and lower Louisiana and then New Orleans are completely different stories with different causes, for one thing.

The major reason for all of the damage in the lower parishes of Louisiana and along the gulf coast of Mississippi is because people for years and years have built homes in extremely high risk areas with the certain knowledge that one day nature would take its course and have its way through the powers God set into motion in this world.

Now they are reaping the consequences of a sure thing that was bound to happen sooner or later.

Another thing is that the area devastated is so huge, so colossal, so stupendous as to be beyond any governmental capability for reconstruction, even if it should be deemed the “government’s” responsibility, which I don’t believe it is. The harsh facts are that many, many people who built in places they definitely should not have built and who did not insure themselves to the extent they could and should have to cover those losses now want someone else to be responsible and to pay the gigantic bills. There’s no way anyone can do that or that anyone else should be expected to do that.

That’s my view, for what it’s worth, on the matter. Not to be mean – just stating the facts as I see them. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be helping all those we can. Just that there is just so much that can be accomplished and the tasks ahead are greater than any effort could sustain.

Cecil – You know I have been praying for you and for your eldership and for your church and I will continue to do so. You have consistently been in my prayers and thoughts and I have mentioned parts of the situation to others so that they might pray for you, as well.

Today I pray for peace among the ranks and that you will have peace in your heart.

Karen – We will all certainly pray for you and your family in your church struggles. I already have been since you told me about them in email.

I have been (and sort of am now) in your exact same situation when my children were young and still at home and we lived (here actually) somewhere where the church situation was not good or conducive to a growing family at all. It was awful to go through and ruined my children’s lives in many ways. My two sons have totally left the churches of Christ because of the one here they grew up in. They are both very faithful young men and very spiritual, but have found church homes elsewhere and you may have to do the same.

I will pray for you about it as you visit with different fellowships and try to make the “right” decision for your family. Hopefully it will only be “for a while” and for a short season and then you can either find a good place to be and/or move into a better place as far as churches are concerned.

I would bet you can find a good place where you are with a lot of prayer and seeking some other places out. I know you mentioned Donna in her search for a “better” place and your plight is not uncommon at all, so certainly you don’t have to and shouldn’t feel all alone, because you aren’t!

Anyway – all of us will lift prayers for you, girl!

Cheers & Blessings to you all! Dee

2. Without going into any details, myself and my fellow elders at our church face a decision that is causing us some stress within our ranks. Pray that we as a church leadership team can come together to make the right decision that would glorify God.

Thanks.

On another note (probably a Db), I find it amazing that our government will immediately respond to a natural disaster anywhere in the world with billions of dollars of aid, but Mississippi and Louisianna continue to lie in ruins and the government seems to not care.