Last night I met some of them…people from New Orleans…some of the first 50 people who will be housed here in Northwest Arkansas.  They were kind, hurting, and very appreciative; You know, normal, just like you and me.  I am told that by the end of the weekend there may be an additional 150 people arriving here.  We are working and we are strategizing, willing to do what we need to do to make a little difference.

The North American Mission Board is mobilizing the 3rd largest Disaster Relief Unit in America.  It is our denomination’s entity.  The only groups larger are FEMA and THE RED CROSS.  In the past 12 hours I have communicated with NAMB’s President via email and its Chief Operating Officer via telephone.  It is obvious by all discussed, this is America’s Tsunami.  We have never faced anything like it in all of North America.

My dear friend, Dr. Keith Thomas, Senior Pastor of The Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, returned my calls last evening.  He was in South Florida during Hurricane Andrew.  He said it was narrow in its destruction, but Katrina was broad and powerful, much more powerful in destruction.  While he and his family have had no power for days, the church received power yesterday, and is already being used in many capacities for relief.  This large membership church will rise up as a bright light over the course of the next few months in its community.  As he talked to me last night he was driving through the city, no traffic lights, taking his life in his own hands.  In his words, he was driving by "a greasy chicken restaurant," and there were at least 100 cars awaiting service.  Yes, these are unprecedented days in America.  Keith also said, "30 minutes west of us is complete destruction!" 

We are preparing to mobilize our staff and people on a weekly basis.  Our hearts go out to everyone.  This is a time for action.  This is a time for prayer. 

Fear is being shared concerning the influence of Hurricane Katrina. It is a time of uncertainty in our nation, unique to anything before in our history. Will the water ever recede? Why does it keep rising? How will buildings, churches, and lives be placed back together? What will happen to the entire American economy?

These fears are real and should be. We cannot imagine what the people of the Gulf Coast feel today. Even though they are grateful for their lives, the fears concerning the future are real.

Last evening, Doug Sarver, our Global Missions Pastor called me. Twenty-two of the almost fifty displaced people expected in Northwest Arkansas had arrived. Tears abounded. Fear gripped their eyes. I could tell from Doug’s voice that he and his new associate, Lon Vining, had been touched mightily. He shared with me that several people got off of the bus with all their worldly possessions on their backs, in a shoebox or trash bag. This season of time is unprecedented. God has given us the privilege of helping these who are being housed in Northwest Arkansas from New Orleans.

Remember, pray. Remember, help. The stewardship of our lives demands we must respond in some way. Find your way through prayer and go towards it. I am.

KATRINA HAS BROUGHT DEVASTATION….WE MUST PRAY. Last night I spoke in Louisville, Kentucky for an evangelistic event shared by several churches. This morning, I spoke to 1,000 men and women at Southern Seminary, who are being trained to go to the ends of the earth to share the gospel. My dear friend and brother in ministry, Dr. Al Mohler who serves as President for the Seminary, addressed the hurricane with the students. He asked them how many had not heard from their families who had been influenced by this storm. I was shocked to see at least 50 of those students stand . . . waiting word . . . about the lives of their families. Wow. I am back from Louisville ready to see where God will lead us.

One of the Deans had not heard from his family in Biloxi, Mississippi. When I was having lunch with these men, as we were talking, the Dean received the call. The house was gone, some debris landed upon his mother, but she was still alive. At that time, no one was coming for them, but another phone call minutes later revealed that she and the family were being taken away in a boat. . . she is injured, but will be fine. Relief replaced great anxiety on this man’s face as he entered back into that room, sharing the news. We all rejoiced! This reminds us all . . . in this helpless situation . . . we must pray! The lives of many people are still in jeopardy. The future of towns and cities may be influenced forever until Jesus comes. We must pray.

KATRINA HAS BROUGHT DESTRUCTION . . . WE MUST GIVE! This may become the most destructive natural disaster in our history! We must give. Churches, social agencies, and others will call for millions to be given, which most will barely make a dent, but it is a start. We must give. I am considering all of our options right now in determining how we will address this need. Sovereignty had both of our Missions pastors with me in Louisville, and we were able to talk and share about what we are doing already and what else we can do. We are preparing and will give leadership soon.

KATRINA REMINDS OF DEPRAVITY . . . WE MUST GO! The buildings destroyed, the waters rising, reminds me of the depravity of each of us . . . lives are shattered daily and the rise of sin abounds! We must go. We must mobilize people to go to the Gulf Coast to make a difference. We are determining how we can do this as a church. Get ready soon to volunteer time to go. Sign-ups will begin when clarity is realized. We must go to love, to assist, to rebuild, to care, to feed, to give, and to share. We must share the incredible message of Jesus Christ as the only hope for the world.

WHAT IS GOD SAYING? WHERE IS GOD? These events well represent the present condition in America . . . spiritual chaos and disorder. I do not know what God is saying, we must seek Him and ask Him. We must address who we are at this time as a nation, relying on our God alone for answers to these difficult questions. Could God have steered the story differently? Absolutely. Why did He not? Why did He let the storm do what it desired to do? I don’t know, but God is sovereign, mysterious, and He is always….I mean always speaking to us.

This is why we must pray, we must give, and we must go . . . at whatever level we can, we must do! Therefore, let’s do it for God. Let’s do it for the people of the Gulf Coast.

Buildings are gone . . . towns are gone . . . churches are gone . . . and even people. However, matters could have still been worse . . . perhaps the worst is before us . . . only God knows. Regardless, we must pray, give, and go.

For those in my fellowship, we are a part of the Southern Baptist Convention. This convention comprised of 43,000 churches has a North American Mission Board, which I am told has the 3rd largest disaster relief program in all of America. We are already mobilizing volunteers, and WILL BE SERVING UP TO 500,000 MEALS DAILY BY THE END OF THE WEEK ON THE GULF COAST! This is huge! We also work hand in hand with the Red Cross and others. It is a kingdom vision!

So in the day and time when denominations are criticized and labels are mocked, I want all of you to know I am proud and privileged to be a Christian first, then a Southern Baptist. So while Katrina appears to be all negative, it is positive as thousands will be mobilized and millions given . . . to help, to love, to serve, and to give. While other organizations are panicked, we are ready to go and already going. God is good.

Stay tuned and remember . . . pray . . . give . . . go! This is our response today to Katrina. Our God will use it for His glory.

Spiritual A.D.D. can be experienced by any one of us. As I was reading today in Colossians 4:17, Paul sent word to Archippus, "Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it." This is a profound word as it is so easy for all of us to get distracted. Evidently Archippus, dealt with a little spiritual or ministry A.D.D.!

Pay attention today. Focus in your life and on your job can cover a multitude of sins. Each of us need to learn to focus, focus, and focus. We need to focus on what is happening in our lives and in our jobs, not get caught up in someone else’s stuff! When we do, this gets us into a "Junk Lifestyle" that is not healthy spiritually or vocationally.

Receive what God has you doing! So many of us get distracted and get disrupted by discontentedness. We get "caught up" in what we would rather do or would be good at in life. Face it…God has you where you are for a purpose! Do not get A.D.D. spiritually over things that do not matter! You cannot control anyone’s destiny other than your own.

In leading people, I have learned, people struggle with focusing on their calling! We tend to rationalize why something is not happening or if we only had this, it would happen here more effectively. That is spiritual hogwash! It does not happen due to lack of focus and spiritual A.D.D.

My word today…focus! Pay attention to your stuff! Do not let discontentedness rob you! Greater people than any of us have struggled with it…our names our not in the Bible! Archippus’ name is in there! His focus had been challenged.

If you want to accomplish something in life, receive your role, focus, and get it done! You determine that, no one else. Get caught up in what God has you doing and you will be astounded at what God may choose to do through you.

Pay attention today…focus…focus…focus.

The DAY AFTER Sunday is always interesting. I was really tired today. I spoke three times yesterday and did a luncheon, so I was exhausted last night. When I got up at 4:00 this morning, it was a challenge…glad God is gracious with me…but my focus got there eventually.

Many of our people are reading God’s Word in its entirety this year with me and today we completed the book of Isaiah. Thank God…it is a long one!

The DAY AFTER Sunday always reminds me of the greatness of God’s Word. I stand amazed at its power, even after I have communicated about it as a pastor since 1976. I have read it annually since 1990, but even this morning, I am amazed. Its power upon the lives of people is staggering! Thank you dear God for Your Word!

The DAY AFTER Hurricane Katrina on the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts and even inland will be difficult when she has passed through completely. We have prayed and left it in God’s Hands, but oh, what a storm! Being raised near the Gulf Coast of Texas and pastoring on that coastline for three years brings a healthy respect for hurricanes. We continue to pray today for limited damage and prayerfully no loss of life.

The DAY AFTER Sunday always reminds me. . . another Sunday is on its way! Oh my, I must go and prepare for next Sunday in every way. Study time is over….time to meet with our staff team.

Oh my, I just returned from walking on both of our building sites on both of our campuses. Wow, vision is empowering! Just a couple of years ago, a dream, a possibility, is now reality coming into being. Today at Pinnacle Hills they poured over 26,000 square feet of concrete….with much more to come. Tomorrow at Springdale, several thousand feet of concrete will be poured. A lot is happening!

I was thinking….every time I have experienced a vision for something….I was EMPOWERED! It makes me walk faster, stay up, get up, and live fired up! I don’t know if anyone who is reading my blog today has lost your fire, your zeal, your dream. How can you get it back? VISION! What is vision? SEEING IT BEFORE YOU SEE IT! I am believing God for some great things to happen…huge…impossible…ONLY God will bring them about– not me or my vision.

Thank God, it is almost time to wrap it up and go home…tomorrow I have some time away….what a week. However, what a great week. Tomorrow is a ballgame….YES! And then Saturday is study in the morning, rest some, and perhaps a major national interview on television with FOX. Waiting to hear. Dream…Be empowered.

This week has been a whirlwind! From 4:00 a.m. until late every night. Jeana and I have been doing dinners each evening with some of our great people in our fellowship and some who are about to connect with us. It has been a very productive week. Study time has been rich personally each morning. Meetings have been effective. Each appointment has been purposeful. Yes, a consuming week, but very, very productive…and more to come today… It is about to be my season…yes…football.

I am preparing mentally and emotionally…preparing to enjoy this “out" for me. We will go to Junior High games on Thursday nights, High School games on Friday nights, and the Razorback games on Saturday when they are in town. On the weekends they are not, I will watch them on television or tune into one of the great games of the week.

If someone were to ask me, "Hey Ronnie, if you could do anything in life for fun and money was not an issue, what would you do?" Well, I am so glad you asked…there are many things, but one thing I would like to do: With private jet access each Saturday morning, fly to any game in college football, have prime seating or be on the field of the team of my choice, experience no traffic issues (police escort to and from stadium back to private airport), get back on the jet, and be home from anywhere in America within one to three hours, depending on where the game was that week. Money, influence, and time no issue…that is ONE thing I would do. I think I could do that in about a 7-10 hour day depending on location and time change.

What would you do if money, time, and influence was no issue? Man, I got to get back into my stuff…about to do a nationwide interview on my newest book, Finding the Favor of God. See you… Dream baby, Dream…it is good for you!

Have you heard?  In a matter of three or four weeks, Josh and Kate are having their first child.  Josh is my oldest, a Head Football Coach, and Kate is his charming wife. They are pumped! Everyone has their "name" except me.  I cannot get there.

For a while I have wanted to blog and have a blogging site. Yet, every time I prepared to write, knowing the complete impact of a blog, I asked myself: “Do I want to hang my life out there even more than it already is?” Wow, it has been tough to come to this point. I am here. I am blogging. “Ronnie, welcome to 2005!” Welcome to more life under the microscope of public life.” I respond when ’self’ tells me that and say, “Thank you, thank you very much.”

Between Sundays is not about formality, but about real life, real feelings, the real stuff of life. If you are looking for a sermon, I’m not doing another one. This is about the stuff I go through daily…stuff just like you…I am no different. Welcome to Between Sundays…tell a friend. Share life with me…the real stuff.