The following devotional is one I struggle with… I’m not done chewing on it or delving into the depths of it.

Ron Hutchcraft usually puts out GREAT non-controversial devotionals… in fact, this is the first time I’ve questioned anything he’s put out, and I’ve been receiving his devotional for QUITE some time. (probably something like two years…)

It comes on each of the business days of the week… so it’s not like a once monthly type thing…

First, let me share the devotional and come back later and discuss why it bugs me so…

---------------------

A WORD WITH YOU
By Ron Hutchcraft
#4863 - "Marking Generations"
Exodus 20:5-6

Listen to the audio broadcast!
http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/ramhurl?p=pnm&f=/rhm/sounds/awwy/awwy4863.rm

    As each of our kids has fallen in love, I have had what sounded like a strange piece of advice for them. I've said, "Make sure you make a good 200-year choice." Needless to say, that's been greeted with an _expression that says, "You doin' okay, Dad?" It turns out none of our kids expects to ever celebrate their 200th wedding anniversary. But that's not what I'm talking about anyway. I'm talking about the impact the choice of a mate will have for a long, long time - along with a lot of other family choices.

 I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Marking Generations."

    When you're deciding who you're going to marry, you're actually deciding who's going to shape your children, and who will in turn, shape their children with what they got from you and your spouse, and who will, in turn - well, you get the idea. It is that downstream effect of our family choices that God spells out graphically in Exodus 20:5-6 - our word for today from the Word of God.

    Right in the middle of the Ten Commandments, God says, "I am the Lord your God ... punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments."

    The consequences of a family's unrighteous choices will be marking at least four generations. The blessings of a family's righteous choices will be marking countless generations. If we could do a little "Back to the Future" time travel to see those who came before us, I think we'd understand strengths and weaknesses, blessings and struggles that are alive and well in our own family today. But that's all history. The issue for you and me is what kind of heritage are we starting in motion through our choices today. Those marks - for better or worse - will be there long after we're gone.

    This generation-marking phenomenon is dramatically illustrated in a study of the descendants of two American families. Family One - which, for obvious reasons shall remain nameless - is traced back to a criminal ancestor. Out of 1,200 of his descendants, 400 wrecked themselves physically through drugs, drinking, or sexual diseases; 310 were beggars; 130 convicted criminals; 60 of them were thieves; 7 were murderers; oh, and 20 learned a trade - in prison.

    A similar study was done on the family of Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher and the early president of Princeton. From him came 100 college professors, 100 ministers, 100 lawyers and judges, 60 doctors, 24 authors and editors, and 14 college presidents. Legacy - the powerful result of one generation's family choices. It makes the choice of who you date and who you marry so critical; way too important for just your hormones or your attractions to decide. In the words of Genesis 24:44, "Let it be the one the Lord has chosen."

    But this legacy effect is something we have to remember in many of the choices we make. That weakness, that sin that keeps flaring up and hurting the people you love - if you and Jesus don't get it under control, it will be hurting generations that follow you. If you settle for a lukewarm faith, that pale substitute for a real relationship with Jesus, that will be what you pass on. If your priorities - how you spend your time, your money, your energy - if they're on stuff that doesn't last, doesn't really matter, then those dead-end streets may be where future generations waste their life, too.

    You probably have no idea of the long-range impact of your life - the 200-year-and-beyond effect of the choices you're making now. Claim for yourself the promise of God that says, "This is My covenant with them, My Spirit who is on you. And My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever" (Isaiah 59:21)

---------------------

PLEASE give me some feedback on this one…

Praise the LORD.
       Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
       his love endures forever.

--Psalm 106:1, NIV

Below is a painting by the French artist Jules Breton. Following is a devotional from http://www.godspeaks.net/

Although they may not have known its title or by whom it was painted, most people have seen a copy of The Song of the Lark, a famous painting by the French artist Jules Breton.

The painting depicts a peasant girl on her way to the field for a hard day's work. Suddenly, it appears, she has heard the sound of a lark. Breton captures her upturned face, alive with hope and joy, thrilled to hear the lilting beauty of the lark's sweet song. From her dress, she is obviously just another peasant girl with a difficult, workaday life. But Breton captures something of her inner soul... a human being glorying in one of nature's loveliest voices, a person enriched by the beauty of God's creation.

Interestingly, the painting has no image of a bird in it. The lark that gives rise to such pleasure is unseen.

And so it is with God. We cannot see Him with our physical eyes. Nevertheless, we can feel His presence and hear His words of comfort, admonition, and encouragement. We do see Him moving in the circumstances. Though unseen, He adds joy, hope, meaning, and purpose to our day-to-day lives.

He is singing a song especially for you today. Look up and listen!

I spent the wee hours of Friday morning in the Astrodome…

To those that are wondering just what it’s like there… TV and Media cannot portray through images and sounds what it’s like in there.

I have been listening to 89.3 FM KSBJ, the local Houston contemporary Christian station. Numerous people have been calling in and asking what they can do to help.

They’ve set up Cards for Katrina, a program where they’ve toured the local malls to collect gift cards to any and all stores that you bring. They’re asking for Department store cards, wal-mart, k-mart, target… grocery stores, auto parts stores, gasoline cards, and anything you can possibly think about. It’s a way to know where your money’s going…

I’ve been saying to myself all week, “I don’t have much money to give them, and my father and I have no room in our residence to take anyone in. Where can I serve?”

All the churches that have opened as shelters are FULL. Their congregations have staffed the shelters.

As for my church, we are a fairly large church. But I’ve heard every excuse in the world why we’re not a shelter. I agree, maybe we shouldn’t be an American Red Cross Shelter, but there are definitely facilities here to help.

Making excuses: I had a track and field coach in high school that would call it “being reasonable”.

“Champions aren’t reasonable,” he would add… Why should true Christians be ‘reasonable’ at this time?

It’s completely irrational that a natural disaster of this magnitude strike the gulf coast. It’s irrational that Houston is feeling so much of the effect of it. Shouldn’t we be doing everything we can to help?

Of course there is a limit of exhaustion, so you need your sleep. And you need to hold your own weight with the house, so you need to be at work. But if you have time sitting on your hands, shouldn’t you be in the thick of it?

Once they stopped turning away volunteers late Thursday night, and announced it on KTRK channel 13 I was up and getting dressed. I was on the way out the door, and my girlfriend called me, it was about 1:15 or so in the morning. I was on the way to the Dome. She called to tell me she was too, and that she needed instructions on where to park and such…

 (She lives all the way out in Deer Park… so this “I live too far” crap is just not buyable…)

I exit Kirby from 610 and headed towards McNee. There was a large fiesta parking lot with numerous cops there. I parked my car near cops. The cops were camped out in front of Ross (a clothing store) and fiesta (a grocery store). I’m sure if anyone tried to get into my car, they’d step in. So, I parked there…

The first guy I met was parked right next to me. We basically were buddies throughout the night. We headed towards the arena. The volunteer organization was just beginning for Red Cross.

We were among the first 20 volunteers to walk in, and we were directed to Reliant center to be processed.

My first task was to get a bracelet on myself, mark my hand with a green marker, and do the same to every other volunteer who came in.

A lady from the Red Cross was there within 20 minutes, and every time they could put together a group of 50, the group was directed to complete a group task. Tasks ranged from the seemingly mundane, to the physically trying, to the compassionate and caring, and every where in between.

There was much to be done, and much less time in which to do it. At one point late Thursday night, it was announced that the Houston Fire marshall declared it unsafe for the Dome to take on any more victims. A short time later, Houston police said that the “20-30 buses out here around the property will be permitted to enter the complex…”

At that time, KTRK’s helicopter took a count. They counted 108 buses out there… rough estimates say that would mean an additional 6,000-7,000 people coming in to the complex.

Then, I was grouped with a number of people to go down to the Astrodome, and be given other tasks there…

Where were we headed? The floor of the Dome.

We’ve seen it on the news. We’ve watched the dome fill up from the periodic still pictures that the Media has taken and shown us via the television.

It is literally COVERED with cots, and blankets, and all of the belongings these people could manage to carry. The situation is desperate. Words cannot express what it was like.

I remember distinctly walking through the west entrance of the dome, and as we turned the corner, we saw all the people sleeping in the hallways of the path that lead down to field level. These people were tired, most of them trying to get a wink of sleep.

There is a certain odor about the place. These people have been walking through and living in sludge, sewage, and worse during the past few days. I’m told the buses have this odor as well.

Some of the people have an ungrateful mentality. They’re walking around like more can be done. And it can, but organization of effort is so difficult. However, the VAST majority are grateful that they are alive, and something is bing done.

I stood on the floor of the astrodome, and I looked around. Just a year ago, as Westside Wolves football players, we were contemplating a road to the state championship through the dome or Reliant stadium. The field was now a cement floor covered in cots. The Air condition was on, but being an old system, was not working very efficiently. The marquee board used to communicate exactly what was being said over the loudspeaker was being used as a message board for the refugees to contact each other’s lost ones and to give them vital information. The outfield deck was being used as a meeting place for children. The showers were all on the second floor. SBC has set up 50 phone lines for people to try and call their loved ones. The other outfield deck was there for chaplains to go to for counseling and messages of hope.

This is one of those marquee signs used to communicate with the 17,000 at the dome…

My Girlfriend is deeply challenged by this. It’s hitting a bit close to home. “How could God… allow this?”

Let’s put aside doctrine. Let’s put aside theological arguments. Let’s put aside relating New Orleans to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Religious people are standing by and letting others go in. TRUE Christians are doing everything in their power to help.

Helping out has its tolls, and I give you that. Not only physically, but mentally. My back and legs are sore from the lifting I did, but mentally and emotionally, so many volunteers have the potential to be scarred.

However, is any scar you suffer worth helping those who have LOST IT ALL?!?!

People have even blamed the government and bureaucratic slowdown on the race factor.

“They’re not doing everything they can. It’s ‘cuz we’re black…”

I wish I could say I knew it was not the case… I wish I could say that was most assuredly not the reason some churches are just standing by…

But I can’t… and it deeply hurts me… and saddens me…

All that running I was inspired to do seems to now have its purpose. It is gonna be a marathon to help these people. They want to treat the dome as a temporary fix, but these people need to be accommodated in the long term.

Is Houston gonna hold it’s own in its commitment to aid those in need? Only time will tell…

As for me, after being on the floor of the dome, I was sent to Reliant Arena to aid in the relief efforts there.

It was only a few short months ago that I was standing around in a holding room with a goofy looking hat and a royal blue robe. I was graduating high school…

And now, I was watching those holding rooms transform into places for these victims from New Orleans. I was moving boxes of cots and cotton blankets from the truck to the rooms for set-up. I was there as we escorted this mass exodus of people into their according rooms of ‘elderly’, ‘single women’, ‘single men’, ‘entire families’.

I was there as we registered each of these individuals through this process, giving them a pink wristband, and consoling words.

I was walking out of the complex at 5:15, and the entire way out, I saw loads of people with food donations that the Red Cross cannot accept due to “health codes and regulations.”

Here we go again with this being reasonable crap…

Isn’t it time to throw out the rule book? The rule book that applies to typical natural disasters is a bit outdated in this situation. Any aid that people bring should be welcomed with open arms. This is quite possibly the worse natural disaster in American history. The city of New Orleans was completely swallowed up by water.

How would you like to wade through waist-deep waste water, full of all kinds of animals, debris, and human excrement, and then have a rulebook shoved in your face?

What would Jesus say about this man made rulebook?

I truly have a feeling that he would mourn at our foolishness.

MATTHEW 25:37-46 (Brought to you via www.biblegateway.com)

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

    ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

    ⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

    ⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

    ⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

    ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

I’m not making this up folks, it actually says that!

God is Love, and God needs to be shown to these people. What role will you play?

I’m headed to the Dome. Channel 13 has asked for volunteers at the McNee Entrance to Reliant Complex… I’m going… I’ll worry about myself later…

There are not many times in my life where I hate Houston. But we have outstretched a hand, and bragged to the world about being able to host 23,000-25,000.

Then some schmuck fire marshall says that the dome can’t handle it. WHERE THE HECK WERE these guys when we started promising this? What about the Reliant Astrohall or Astroarena? What about other large venues? George R. Brown Convention center? What? What are we gonna do?

Then, people have called the church where I work CONSTANTLY all day… They’ve asked me… “What is our church doing about this disaster?”

The answer? “We are having a mission’s committee meeting Friday night, and then the committee will present its plan of action to the church on Sunday morning…”

Too late now, our city screwed up, and what’s the church gonna do about it?

I will say this. CHURCHES who have opened your doors, to you, I am grateful and Thank God for you…