dont just stand there … be something

Oh, it’s the catch phrase of the decade. Stop going to church and “be” the church. We need to preach this. We need to live this.

Yesterday Lori called me and told me that her employer, First Methodist Church in McKinney, might need to use my 16 ft. trailer. She said she volunteered it for “us”. Then she said … I volunteered you to … to pull it with your truck. I was excited … didn’t know what I was going to do with it … but it sounded adventurous. FUMC had been collecting stuff to go to Galveston Island … diapers, toilet paper, peanut butter, water … in fact 3 trailers worth. She called back and said they needed a covered trailer and alas mine is not a covered trailer. They left yesterday to distribute.

It’s true that Journey Church does not have a lot of people attending at this point. We average 10 on Sunday morning. It sort of reminds me of Steve Sjogren when he started a Vineyard church in Cincinnati. After 18 months … they had 37 people attending.

Then Sjogren returned to the Gospels and saw that Jesus served everywhere he went. Then the 37 went into their community to serve, including scouring the restrooms at local bars while disbelieving employees looked on.

That’s right … he gathered up his little band of people and they started cleaning toilets in bars. 18 years later … 7,000 people go out every Saturday for 2 hours to serve others. Serve Fest is what they call it.

You want to know why I started Journey Church … this is why. To serve, like Jesus.

wg < —

 

we want to help kirbyville

(photo from AP)

This post is an open invitation for churches or other relief organizations to use our help!!

As some of you know, we helped a family fleeing Ike last week house their 4 horses for several days. That family left last Saturday to return home to no power … but minimal damage to their homes … but the barn was gone. They were from the Kirbyville, Texas area. We have not heard much media coverage in the Dallas area from Southeast Texas … mainly Galveston and Houston.

I am a pastor of a local church and I want to help coordinate help to the Kirbyville … Jasper County area. My goal is to try and get as many other local churches involved in any type of relief needed. We are just like every one else … we have a little more time than we have a little more money … so our talents and skills will have to do for help. I know a number of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and a bunch of semi skilled or non skilled folks who could come help in any way.

I have contacted “somebody cares” in Houston … but do not know any other way to contact local pastors in the Jasper county area. If someone could contact me today … I would try and get in touch with as many pastors in our area prior to tomorrow as possible … to find out who could come and when. We just need someone in the area to tell us what you need and how to get there.

Please contact me through this email address … give a phone number … I will return your call.

wgooden (at) yahoo.com

wayne gooden – pastor, and all around good guy.

 

no football here

It’s no secret that in our part of the world that high school football is “the” place to be on Friday nights. Here is a shot of a high school field in Delcambre, La by AP Photographer, Richard Alan Hannon. This photo was taken last Saturday. Wow.

Having school in South Texas after Ike … is sort of hit and miss. The lack of power is still the issue as thousands of utility workers from all over the country work around the clock to restore power. A lot of bloggers from this area report their food supplies running out, kids being restless, and major concern about their money running out by having to eat out.

Texas Baptists have always come to the rescue in disasters … they report serving 234,285 meals to folks during these days.

My alma mater East Texas Baptist University has been in the news quite a bit with helping Ike evacuees.

I did want to report that … the port of Galveston is suppose to re-open next Monday …. for cruise ships.

Youth Groups in the areas are stepping up and helping in small and big ways.

<< — wg

 

dude, where’s my car?

Can you imagine taking a cruise, getting news that a hurricane is headed to your home port … where you parked your car? Ouch. You can imagine the 2000+ cruisers who were told that they would not be making it back to the Port of Galveston … they were going to New Orleans … or you can just stay on the boat. Those were the options … then they had a ridiculously short time to make arrangements to get home … Carnival Cruise Line would be no help in this matter. Sorry. They did open 12 phone lines and give 30 free minutes of Internet to the 2000+ passengers to find their way home. Oh, and what about all those folks who drove to the port of Galveston to board the ship. Pretty sure their cars are gone or totalled … who can tell them … you can’t get in and Carnival … again, no help.

The blogs and the forums criticize people for taking a cruise during hurricane season. Here’s a flash … why sell a cruise during hurricane season? People reported calling Carnival and asking if the cruise would be cancelled since mandatory evacuation was imminent … Carnival said, you can cancel … and you will lose all of your money.

It’s true Carnival probably could not help you find your car … but at least there could have been better communication in letting people know instead of just option #1 … get off the boat and find your way home … or option #2 … stay on the boat and maybe the port of Galveston will open back up (of course that didn’t happen). It’s a bad deal all the way around. Messed up vacation. Mad people. Bad PR. No win situation for Carnival … no matter how you water it down.

<< — wg

 

galveston mayor in new storm

Galveston mayor Lyda Ann Thomas is facing a category 5 media storm in her town. Newspapers from all over Texas have reported the latest blast of disgruntled council members. Criticising the mayor for extending her emergency powers another 7 days. Local media reporters say that the city manager should be in charge and others say that the city should be governed by the council.

Oh me.

Here’s a lady that has faced more than she had ever bargained for and she is still leading. Granted the “look and leave” program was not a good idea … but, she was concerned that the citizens of Galveston wanted to get in and see their homes and businesses. The logistics were a nightmare. The knee jerk reaction to shut it down … made it worse and frustrated people even more. Ok, good idea … not so good planning. She has done some pretty good things in the past few days. Let’s not throw the baby out with the sea water.

The media loves the story of failure and pain. It sells. I have to give this to mayor Thomas … she stepped up to an enormous catastrophic disaster and has faithfully stayed at the helm. Excuse me … but she does not strike me as a crazed power crazy politician. Honestly, right now there needs to be “one” in charge. I am sure she is using her resources as best as possible. These are trying times for her as well as the local government and the people of Galveston. In the words of John Stossell … “give her a break.”

<< — wg

 

morning moon

This was an unusual sight out my back door this morning. At 6:15 while the sun was rising on the east side of the house … the moon was still visible on the west side.  It was great … I could see great detail of the moon from the reflection of the sun … it was the clearest I have ever seen the moon.

It may not be a big deal to some … the air was cool and crisp. A welcome change to the humid air that we have had the last few days.

I reached my brother in law by cell phone this morning … he lives in Houston and is doing ok. No power … but minimal damage to his property. The folks whose horses have been staying with us the last few days also went home today. They were excited to go home.

<< wg

 

famous fema two step

graphic from here

News reports from Houston are very upsetting. FEMA had 26 trucks on the ground yesterday morning, but didn’t know what to do with them. Seems they are pushing the blame on the state for not setting up distribution centers. The state … did not know that FEMA was waiting on them … FEMA says “my bad, communications issues.” News conference last evening has the mayor saying that 6 of the trucks have been dispatched and here is where they will be. Seems to me, that was probably not a good plan either. The obvious melee of thousands of people sitting in more long lines and finding out that there will be no water, ice or food when they get there.  FEMA always has a two step plan to get out of a bind … blame the local government … then claim bad communication. Why is it that Red Cross, Salvation Army, Food Banks, Churches, and Denominational Rescue Teams … always know where to set up … way in advance of a disaster … they have no problem finding the people who need it the most. In fact, they do such a good job that they run out of supplies … helping those who need it. All the while there are 26 trucks setting in a parking lot with armed guards around it and, I hear, 40 more trucks on the way … all full of supplies that … POWIE … taxpayers PAID for. While Red Cross, Salvation Army, Food Banks, etc … are begging me to give MORE money to help their effort.

Here’s a NEWS FLASH … why doesn’t FEMA let the Red Cross, SA, and area Food Banks distribute these trucks … since they can’t seem to find the ON RAMP to help the people in a timely fashion. There is plenty of food and help available through our FEDERAL government but everyone has to fill out the proper paper work before you get a block of ice. I know that is an overstatement … but really. Volunteer organizations were on the ground feeding thousands before FEMA could figure out who was in charge. Why does this have to be so hard?

It’s frustating.

<< wg

 

ike has left the building

Photo by Larry W. Smith (EPA)

Ike has left the building, at least for Texas. By 9 pm last night Ike was crossing the Red River heading into Oklahoma. He has picked up land speed … moving along at about 35 to 40 miles an hour. So long, Ike. You left us a big bill. Clean up, rescue, gas prices, you name it … it’s going to cost. People in South Texas may be without power for weeks. Of course not having power is the least of some people’s worries since they may not have a house with a plug in it!

The photos of Ike from news agencies show us destruction on a mass scale … but, we could never see everything. Most of what we will see are the major places … not every little town between the coast and Lufkin. I was talking to the guy who brought his horses to our place … they live in Kirbyville. He lost his barn, but his house is in tact … so says his neighbors. Who knows when they will get power again. He told me that Kirbyville has no gasoline anywhere in town.  He may be staying a few more days than expected.

<< wg

 

kema changed forever

This is another AP photo … it is Hwy 146 from Kema to Seabrook. Kema is a small coastal community famous for their restaurants. Lori and I have driven there many times when we lived in Pasadena. We loved to watch the ships and boats on the inter coastal waterway. Reports say that Kema will never be the same. If you look closely in this picture you will see someone’s couch amid the rubble and roofs. It is 4:49 pm CST … we are 53 miles north of the Dallas area. We are still seeing light rains and 20 mph winds … it looks as if it will be staying to the east of us.

<< wg

 

poop deck galveston stands

First off … Matt Slocum, an AP photographer, is my hero. He has captured some great shots of human interest during Ike. The Poop Deck is a bar in Galveston, as the NY Times reports … just stumbling distance from the sea wall … here some reckless patrons withstood Ike and their human size replica of the statue of liberty is proof. Proof of what … I do not know. Nonetheless … some said they were too drunk to leave the island others said they were too scared … but it looks like they made it. Of course this photo by Matt is around to the world!! Only in Texas.

<< wg