Years ago, God laid the desperate need of Native American young people on our hearts, and ever since we have been involved with some very special summers on reservations with our On Eagles' Wings teams. We have had moments of unforgettable joy - and some moments of pain and sorrow, too. One of the toughest of those moments was the summer when we heard about Johnny's sudden and tragic death. Johnny was a Lakota young man who we had worked with and had really come to love. In the providence of God, our team was headed for Johnny's reservation in South Dakota when we heard about his death. His parents actually delayed the funeral a couple of days so the On Eagles' Wings team could be there. His Mom said that some of the best days of his life had been with our team.
It's that time of year again - apples are getting picked, the days are getting cooler, the leaves will start changing color soon...and the fall TV season is ramping up. Yes, it's that time of year when people get their TiVos ready to see what is happening with their favorite characters. Almost every show will air something that recaps what had previously happened before diving into what's new.
So, before I get into some of the exciting "On Eagles' Wings" news that's on the horizon, here's a brief recap.
Wow! What a year. The financial foundation of the world has been shaken. The automobile industry is being almost recreated. Unemployment is at a level not seen for decades. Stock and retirement accounts have eroded to a small percentage of what they originally were. Many of you have felt the financial strain.
In many parts of our great country right now, it's harvest time. Of course, when you grow up in Chicago, like I did, you don't know much about harvesting.
But I married a farm girl, and I have lots of friends who are farmers. They've taught me a lot about harvest. I needed to know. Because "harvest" is the way Jesus described the work of bringing lost people to Him. When it's harvest time, you drop everything, get all the help you can find and work until it's done. The opportunity is great...the time is short...if you don't get it when it's ready, it will be lost.
