Family Tree...

The contrast between all of us pulling together for Haiti and the partisanship of politics, it's nice to remember we all come from the same place-

God, Thank You for reminding us of how short the family tree is after all.

In His Dust,

DCC

Still...

One of my favorite verses is and always has been

“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

This is a command, that comes with a promise from God Himself!

The command?
"Be still."

Cover your mouth.
Bend your knees.

Sit still.

The promise?

"You will know that I am God."

I don't know about you...but BRING ON THE SECOND PART!

The first part I am not real good with.

Ok, fine, I flat out suck at being still.

However, G0d knows that about me and clearly, still commands me to do it HIS WAY.

For me this means, "Debbi, Sit Down. Shut your trap. Trust Me."

Max Lucado says, "In the midst of your daily storms, make it a point to be still and set your sights on him. Let God be God. Let him bathe you in his glory so that both your breath and your troubles are sucked from your soul.

Be still. Be quiet. Be open and willing. Then you will know that God is God.”God, Thank You for the rest we find when we are still Your Arms....with our eyes fixed on You...it is only in this stillness, that we are truly safe.

In His Dust,

DCC

Point of Light...

August 2005.....Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans....This was the third time the dome had been used as a shelter; it was previously used in 1998 during Hurricane Georges and in 2004 during Hurricane Ivan. During Georges, the Superdome had no problems related to the weather, but the evacuees stole furniture and damaged property that resulted in thousands of dollars in losses, and there were difficulties supplying the more than 14,000 people living temporarily in the dome with necessities. About a thousand special-needs patients were housed there when Ivan hit the area.

Approximately 9,000 residents and 550 National Guardsmen rode out the night in the Superdome as Katrina came ashore. The number of people taking shelter in the Superdome rose to around 15,000 to 20,000 as search and rescue teams brought more people to the Superdome from areas hit hard by the flooding. Officials set up security checkpoints, and confiscated alcohol, weapons, and illicit drugs from those seeking refuge in the building. On August 29, 2005, at about 9:00 am, reports from inside the Superdome were that part of the roof was "peeling off," daylight could be seen from inside the dome, and rain was pouring in.
There was no water purification equipment, no chemical toilets, no antibiotics and no anti-diarrhea medicine stored for a crisis. There were no designated medical staff at work in the evacuation center, no established sick bay within the Superdome, and very few cots available.
As of August 31, there had been three deaths in the Superdome: two elderly medical patients and a man who is believed to have committed suicide by jumping from the upper level seats. There were also unconfirmed reports of rape, vandalism, violent assaults, crack dealing/drug abuse, and gang activity inside the Superdome.
Speculation arose that the Louisiana Superdome would have to be demolished.

Cut to January 24th 2010....

The roof that once had holes in it, now was being raised with cheers of human victory. Holes that had been punched through drywall by evacuees who broke into luxury suites just to look for any type of food or water....were nowhere to be seen.

Tonight, The Superdome was filled with Faith, Hope, Happiness and finally celebration.

President George H.W. Bush was at the game last night. He knows the Superdome all too well. This is where he gave his famous "thousand points of light" speech.How pleased he must have been to see, this very place and the people in it

BECOME a "point of light." "I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope" ~Hosea 2:15

God, Thank You for Faith...and for the lessons in life whether found on a t-shirt or a football game, that in tragedy or victory, You will never leave us and and our Faith in You, WILL take us EVERYWHERE.

In His Dust,

DCC

Lunch...

I don't care if He's s special baby, He's sleeping on my lunch.

May we all be so blessed, to have Him, "getting in our way."

God, Thank You for being in the midst of every single area of our lives. teach us to recognize You.

In His Dust,
DCC

*Cartoon by Cuyler Black

www.inheritthemirth.com

The Rock...

Coach Brad McCoy (Colt's dad) spoke at the Regents' fall sports banquet.
He had been the scheduled speaker for months.

He has coached for 26 years, won 4 state championships and has or is
raising his three sons to be Godly leaders, with humble servant hearts. He speaks all the time on growing leaders, on
the importance of sports, football in particular, to learning life's
lessons. He had to change his talk for the night in
light of what happened to Colt at The Rose Bowl. He apologized talking about his son more than
he usually does, but he said he had to share how he saw God in this.

He said three weeks ago his high school football team, his
youngest son is a senior on it, lost the state championship by 1 point
because their kicker flaked out. Then he and his wife join Colt in New
York for the Heisman ceremony which did not go as well as they could
have hoped. Then they get to Pasadena for the biggest game in Colt's
life, one he has been preparing for all of his life - and he plays for
three plays. He said as soon as Colt went down he began to pray
that God would enable him to continue playing, he prayed for healing and
for Colt's heart and attitude. He finally made his way down under the stadium, praying the whole way, hoping to see Colt sitting up, putting his pads back on and heading
back out the tunnel. Instead, he saw him laying prone on a trainer's
table, no pads, and a tear on his face. Colt looked up at him and said
"Dad, I had them - I knew everything they were going to do before they
did it - I could have completed every pass I threw - I could see
everything and I know we could have won this game."

Brad told God that Colt could have his arm! Later, Colt got up and wanted to try and throw a little, just in case he
had been miraculously healed, Coach McCoy said all he could think of
was when Colt was 3 or 4 and they would throw in the front yard he could see that little boy in this big ol' quarterback and it broke his
heart to watch him throw as if he was using the wrong hand, like he had
to think of every step and where should his hand even be.

When everyone finally decided he was not playing,

Colt refused to let them put his arm in a sling, he put his pads back on and asked for a headset so he could help with the plays and help the new quarterback.

Coach McCoy was dealing with lots of emotions and was angry with God. God finally told him "Colt is fine, it is you that need some help." He said that God shared that with
him over and over all through the night - like when the game finally
turned around and the crowd was chanting "Gilbert...Gilbert" and he was
struck by the fact that this should have been Colt's stage.
He said his phone blew up from all the texts and messages after Colt spoke at
the end of the game. He didn't hear what Colt said until
Saturday morning. He did ask Colt later that night, around 3:00 am, what
he said because he was getting all these calls about it and Colt said,
"Dad, I don't remember, I have no idea."

"I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life. And I know that if nothing else, I'm standing on the Rock," Colt McCoy after Rose Bowl.

God, Thank You for being The Rock...for being available to each of us...at all times.
Give us opportunities to tell others about You, and when necessary use words.

In His Dust,

DCC

Pants On The Ground...

"Pants on the ground, pants on the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground. With that gold in your mouth, hat turned sideways, pants hit the ground, call yourself a cool cat, looking like a fool, walking downtown with your pants on the ground. Get it up, HEY, get your pants off the ground, looking like a fool, walking, talking with your pants on the ground. Get it up, HEY, get your pants off the ground, looking like a fool with your pants on the ground."

With those four words, "General" Larry Platt has gone from "American Idol" reject to Internet sensation.

For Platt, the song was just another one of his causes. He said Thursday that he and his civil rights colleagues sacrificed too much for today's youth to walk around with sagging pants.

He proudly showed off black and white photographs of himself alongside civil rights icon Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and pointed to plaques from city and state officials recognizing his social justice work as a dedicated foot soldier with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

He was inspired to create the song three years ago when he saw a guy walking down a downtown Atlanta street with a baby in his arm and his pants slipping below his hips. “He had his underwear showing,” Platt recalled. The song came to him spontaneously. He started chanting the chorus to “Pants on the Ground.”

“He was being disrespectful so I wanted to embarrass him,” Platt said. “He rolled his eyes and pulled his pants up a little bit.” Platt has since done that to others as well.

Why did he call himself “General” when he was never in the military? “I’m a general of the civil rights movement,” he said, saying he marched with Martin Luther King Jr.

Platt said he likes to talk to government officials about helping the downtrodden, the poor, the homeless. “I like to help keep people from being dominated. This should be a civilized state. Everyone should be treated equal.”

God, Thank You for reminders where they are least expected, that we are all created equally, in Your Image. We owe it to You to treat each other with that in mind.

In His Dust,

DCC

John 14:8...

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:8

May I suggest, that we keep the entire country of Haiti, relief workers, family & friends of all involved in our prayers.

God, Thank You for the simple, but incredible blessings in our lives. May we not take them for granted, especially now.

In His Dust,

DCC

Haiti...

Catastrophe in Haiti.

Thousands of Haitians are begging for help after a massive earthquake devastated their island nation.

You could hardly pick a place in the western hemisphere where a natural disaster would cause more devastation and pain than Haiti

Hundreds of thousands dead...injured...missing....crushed...

The earthquake flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods. Officials fear hundreds of thousands are dead.Bodies of tiny children are piled next to schools. Corpses of women lay on the street with stunned expressions frozen on their faces as flies began to gather. Bodies of men were covered with plastic tarps or cotton sheets. Parliament, the tax office, schools and hospitals, have collapsed.

Even the main prison in the capital fell down, and there are reports of escaped inmates
The cathedral, the archbishop's office, all the big churches, the seminaries have been reduced to rubble

Stunned people wandered the streets holding hands. Thousands gathered in public squares to sing hymns.
I want to meet the people that chose to sing hymns...the ones that knew with all their hearts, He was there, in the midst of them.

“I will come back and take you to be with me.” John 14: 3

God, Thank You for loving me and making me Your child. Thank You for loving my neighbor and making them my brother. Please show each of us, in our own way, how we can help.

In His Dust,
DCC

New Car...

I just bought a new car....super excited about it...it is being made to order so will not be here for about 8 weeks....yup, 8 of them.

I know what it looks like, because I designed it. I hand picked the colors, leather, wood paneling, sunroof, all of the unnecessary features I "had" to have.

Although I know many things about it....until I see it and drive it I will not truly "see" it. Until the new car smell graces my senses, it is nothing more than a vision.

It makes the one I am driving now seem not as much "fun." It is easier to get frustrated with..since I know something better is coming.

Kind of like life for all of us now.

Something better is coming....God, Himself, promises!

"However, as it is written:
No eye has seen,

No ear has heard,

No mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him."
~1 Corinthians 2:9

God, Thank You for all of the "new car smells" that are ahead of each and every one of us.

In His Dust,

DCC

Gloria...

No matter who you are...or where you are from...

God knows you...and everything about you...down to the very number of hairs on your head.

God, Thank you for not only knowing it all...but caring about it all as well.

In His Dust,

DCC

Psalm 37:28...

Don't think for one moment, that God has forgotten you...or those you have lost.

He is not too busy with "bigger" things..."bigger" places..."bigger" problems.

You are His Child. There is nothing "bigger "to Him, than you.

God, Thank You for never forsaking each and every one of us.

In His Dust,

DCC

Christmas Begins...

I miss Christmas.
I was looking at the pictures...

and wishing it were tomorrow instead of yesterday.

not the hustle bustle shopping stressed out part...just the slowing down on the actual day and "being" with family and friends. Stopping the world to spoil the nieces...staring at a fire.. Looking at the fire I realized...it is now.
The true work of Christmas, is just now beginning.

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart." ~Howard Thurman

God, Thank You for the reminder that Christmas is never over. Thanks be to, You.

In His Dust,

DCC