Man in the Yellow Hat

My kids are still young.  For several years I have been re-acquainted with Curious George and the man in the yellow hat.  The only recurring character in the original adventures, other than George himself, is the Man with the Yellow Hat.  It was he who brought George from Africa, and it is in his house that George lives. The Man often facilitates George’s adventures by taking him somewhere, and even more often resolves the tension by appearing just in time to get George out of a tight spot. He is always seen wearing a bright yellow suit and a wide-brimmed yellow hat. The Man is never mentioned by name in the original adventures, or in any subsequent content over more than six decades. He is always called either “the Man” or fully “the Man with the Yellow Hat”. When people speak to George about the Man, they often refer to him as “your friend.”  I have enjoyed watching George discover new things and the Man in the yellow hat come behind and pick up the pieces.  George destroys the bathroom and he cleans it up.  George gets lost and the Man goes and finds him.  in one episode, George misunderstood something and decided he would store up food all over the house.  The mess was disastrous.  The Man in the yellow hat came in and helped George fix everything.

Let me introduce you to another Yellow Hat that is “your friend”.  The men and women that serve in Disaster Relief are friends to your community, the state of Oklahoma, our country, and even our world.  Disaster Relief acts according to their name.  Wherever there is a disaster they go and provide relief.  According to their website, this is a portion of what they do.

Feeding
Preparing and serving hot meals is the backbone of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry.  With this in mind, every Oklahoma volunteer is trained to work on the feeding team.  Specific training is provided in maintenance, warehouse, sanitation, cooking and line serving.

After completing feeding team training, volunteers may train in other areas of Disaster Relief service.  Assessment team members must have previous training in our Disaster Relief chain saw and mud-out recovery work.

Damage Assessment
Team members go ahead of chain saw and mud-out teams to evaluate damage and inform follow-up teams on scope of each job, including equipment that will be needed.

Chain-Saw
The chain saw team removes damaged trees and other debris blocking doorways and/or driveways, trees leaning against homes, and limbs broken through roofs or causing a hazard in yards.  Experience in operating a chain saw  is desirable, but not mandatory.

Mud-Out Removal
Members must be in good physical condition and willing to work in unpleasant, dirty situations.  Volunteers need to be conscious of health and safety hazards, taking necessary measures in order to keep themselves and others out of harm’s way.

Showers and Laundry
This team gives aid to relief workers and others who are in need by providing showers and laundry support in the disaster area.  The trailers have private shower stalls as well as washing machines, dryers, storage and folding areas.  Volunteers receive and assist those requesting their services, do laundry, sanitize showers, empty trash, replace needed supplies, and keep the trailer area neat.

Child Care
Child care volunteers provide a calm atmosphere and competent, loving care for children.  Care is provided to give parents the opportunity to salvage remains of belongings, meet with helping agencies and insurance representatives, and take care of other business.

Team members will travel to the disaster site and establish a child care center in temporary space, using books, toys and other resources that they will take to the disaster site.  The center is set up in the best available space adjacent to the areas to be serviced.  It may be located in a school, church or business that is unaffected by the disaster.  Volunteers will care for the children during the day.  The center is usually open from 8:30 am to 5:40 pm.

Child care volunteers should love children and have previous experience working with preschoolers and elementary-age children.  Team members must consent to a background check before serving.

Water Purification
This group provides clean water after a disaster has occurred.  Portable water purification units are used to sanitize available water on location, making it safe for drinking, cooking, bathing and other uses.

If you would like to donate to this beautiful ministry you can do so at http://www.okdisasterhelp.com/donate/

These men and women wear yellow hats recognized around the world and in your backyard.  May God be with us all.

Never Lose Hope

Is hope a simple-minded myth?

In just a 24 hour period Oklahoma experienced record heat, deadly storms, long-tracking tornadoes and an earthquake.  In the past month I read the news about the Boston bombings, talked with someone whose parent is dying and discovered another marriage crumbling.  How do we cope?  How do we handle the stress?  To whom do we turn?  Too often we turn to the couch of a physician, the doctor’s office for pills, the bed of another, or the bottle to ease the pain.  Why wouldn’t we?  A friend of mine drove to a local town demolished by a tornado to sift through the rubble that was his office.  An entire neighborhood is reduced to twisted metal and splintered wood.  Someone planted bombs in a marathon to maim and destroy the lives of hundreds, if not thousands.  The one who has nurtured you your whole life lies in a bed waiting, and possibly planning, on dying.  The marriage that outwardly seems to be so wonderful is rotting from within.  It is no wonder that we pop pills and drink ourselves to that uncaring oblivion.  We must find a way to ease this pain we feel.  We are determined to replace pain with pleasure, hurt with happiness.

Why hope?  It seems to do no good.

I would expect many to feel this way who have never tasted the goodness of God or have been hurt by those who represent God.  Trust and hope are tied together in a neat little package that some wish were separated.  How can I hope for something where there is no trust?  How can I hope the bombings and killings will stop without trust in the government’s ability to handle or control this situation?  How can I hope for healing when I cannot trust that God will do what I want?  How can there be hope in a marriage where trust left years ago?  Is hope is fleeting?  Is hope is failing?  Is hope futile and for the simple-minded?  We realists live above this unnecessary emotion right?  Logic wins in that world, but love loses.

We hope because it raises our vision from today to tomorrow.  We hope because the pain of the past is replaced with a promise of a preferred future.  We hope because down deep we still know that God is bigger than us.  God has our best interests in mind even though our feelings claim fault.  We hope because that is all we have.  Hope brings warmth.  Hope brings vision.  Hope raises the spirit.  Though all else seems to fail, believe there is hope.

Believe.  Hope.  Pray.  Live.

1 Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish: 2 I called to the Lord in my distress,and He answered me. (Jonah 2)

I Triple Dog Dare You

Triple Dog Dare

►

That is really one of the greatest scenes!  Flick answers the call to the triple-dog-dare!  I have been on both ends of that kind of dare before, haven’t you?  As we get older it seems that we forget about such things.  We move away from the double and triple-dog-dares, but the challenges are still present.  We are dared everyday with respect to many items.  In adult talk, and especially church adult talk, we like to use the term “temptation”.  I am not sure why we use this term except that we find it in scripture.  However, to consider Jesus being double-dog-dared to eat bread is more dramatic!

What are we dared to do?

• to trust my wits over God’s
• to keep the tithe to pay medical bills
• to spend more time with family and less time with God
• to believe just once will be OK
• to rationalize my behavior as being right even though it makes me sick when I do
• to trust humanity more than God
• to seek satisfaction outside of marriage
• to quit
• to gamble
• to earn Heaven

We are all dared on so many levels every day.  These kinds of dares come from evil and will take us down the path of destruction.  Like Flick, we feel trapped at times.  We are not sure how to respond.  The pressure of those around us and our pride within us have joined forces.  Not sure of how to escape, we act.

***

Summer is just around the corner and that means for many Vacation Bible School.  For me, we are going to Colossal Coaster World where we will be dared to do many things.  These dares come from God and will lead us down a path of strength and stability.  Here are 5 things we will be dared to do but we can start anytime.

1.  Dare to Change – Acts 9:1-18

In Acts 9:1-18 we encounter a life changing moment for 2 people. Saul was breathing threats and incarcerating people for believing in Jesus and practicing “The Way”. Ananias was minding his own business trying not to be thrown into prison. In one day both lives would be altered. God came to each of them in a way required to get their attention. God sometimes uses the fantastic to get our attention. Saul was blinded by a light and spoken to by God. He was dared to make changes. Ananias lived in fear. He was dared to make changes. Saul’s entire education was be flipped on its head. Ananias’ fear would be challenged to become focused courage. God changes us in ways we cannot completely fathom. What is God daring you to change in your life?

2.  Dare to Speak Up -  Acts 9:20-30

Saul was transformed from breathing threats to sharing the Gospel. Not everyone understood or believed in him. He was trying to do the right thing but his reputation preceded him. He could have given up and shut up but instead he faced his fears head on and kept sharing the message of the Messiah everyday. Escaping for his life he went to Jerusalem. The believers there were skeptical at best also. Barnabas dared to speak up on behalf of Saul. He told the story and encouraged the people to give God’s grace a chance with Saul.

3.  Dare to Believe – Acts 16:16-34

As we approach this passage of scripture belief is the key component. Paul believed that change was an available option for slave girl and later for themselves. Paul believed that God could change the slave girl and free her from divination. No matter how far she had gone into that world, Paul believed God could free her. When he and Silas were in prison, the sang praises because they knew God could free them. Even though they were shackled in prison, they had belief. The jailor believed that God could save him by faith in Jesus Christ. They believed in spite of the challenges of politics and personal difficulties.  What are you being dared to believe?

4.  Dare to Stand Strong – Acts 21:27-23:11

The apostle Paul was seized under false charges and his life was in danger. The courts heard the accusations but determined that there was nothing to them. The crowds began to cry out for Paul to be killed. In that moment, Paul asked if he could speak. What was he going to say? With the great spin doctors of our modern politics we might imagine many ways Paul could spin his situation. What Paul did next was daring. He began to share his testimony and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many in the crowds and Sanhedrin despised what he had to say but God encouraged him with these words:

Have courage! For you have testified about Me in Jerusalem,

so you must also testify about me in Rome.

In no small way, God told him he was being salvaged from the judicial wreckage in Jerusalem, but also being sent to Rome. Because he stood strong for the truth, God was sparing his very life. What truth needs you to stand strong?

5.  Dare to  Trust – Acts 27

When you call on Jesus Christ, all of Heaven rises to meet that need because we do not have a pile of rocks but a risen Savior we can trust. We can trust Him with out financial problems, our relationship nightmares, and our physical ailments. We can trust Him with our spouses and with our kids. We can trust Him when things change and when they do not. We can trust Him during the songs we know and the ones we don’t. We can trust Him when things wrong and when they work. We trust God and in doing so we reveal to those around us the peace of God that accompanies trust.  I dare you to trust God in every way for every thing!

I triple-dog-dare you!