If I Had A Hammer...

As previously mentioned, a group of us from the church where I am a pastor is heading off to Louisiana to share in the work of the Disciples' hurricane recovery effort. After three and a half years, much work remains to be done. I will be interested to see what progress has been made since I was there before, two years ago.

Apparently, there still is a long way to go. Disciples Home Missions has a web page dedicated to enlisting volunteers such as our group. They report, "Neighborhoods resemble ghost towns where the recovery has been sporadic at best, while organizations that intended to help those who need it most are running out of resources and pulling out. This spring, the Office of Disciples Volunteering and Week of Compassion will partner with Church World Service and nine other member denominations to host a four-week ecumenical work project in the Little Woods neighborhood of New Orleans. This area was selected because of its diversity, its lack of prior attention, the size of the homes (1200 to 1400 sqare feet), and the tremendous impact this project would have on the community. By focusing on one neighborhood, our collective efforts can create ripples that provide hope to struggling families, while strengthening schools and encouraging businesses to return."

Our previous groups (we also had a group last year that went to Mississippi) were told that if it weren't for folks coming from churches and civic organizations, the people in the affected region would have little hope of receiving help. Apparently, that remains true. We also were told that a huge proportion of the displaced residents planned never to return. For them, there was nothing to which to come home.

Meanwhile, towns in the mid-west have been obliterated by tornados; Kentucky and other states have suffered devastating ice storms; and, economic sink-holes and fears are making everyone tense.

Just a few days after we will return from Louisiana, the season of Lent begins. Ash Wednesday is February 25. Lent is a 40-day period (not counting Sundays) for the renewal of spiritual practice and discipline; for emptying oneself of extraneous and peripheral nonsense; for an honest self-evaluation -- all in order to make more room for God in one's life, and to prepare once again to embrace resurrection power.

Resurrection power is needed in all of our lives, and throughout the land. Resurrection power brings with it hope, renewed relationships, and new life. Resurrection power seems in short supply, yet readily available.

It looks to me like the opportunity is before us to be reminded of the need for resurrection, and then, to find it.

If anyone cares to follow the activities of our mission group while we are in Louisiana, email me today or tomorrow, and I will send you a link where daily updates will be posted.