CNN and other networks went to church yesterday. In Haiti, that is. Because the faith celebrated there Sunday has become part of the story of Haiti's darkest hour.
It's not a surprise to those of us who have been with these precious brothers and sisters. Some of them live every day with a tenacious faith that sustains them through their grinding poverty. And when they worship, it's not all buttoned down like so many American churches. It's exuberant!
It's hard to stop watching what's happening in Haiti. The days I've spent ministering among those precious people have bonded my heart to that place, and broken my heart for what I'm seeing. Time is running out in Haiti. There will be years to rebuild, but only hours to rescue. Who can wait for the professional rescuers or the right equipment?
The sadness in Haiti is overwhelming even seasoned reporters. One anchorman just said, "As the images continue to fill our screens here in the newsroom, I find myself starting to turn away. Because after a while, it's just more than..." and his voice drifted off.
I'm on the road speaking, but every minute I'm in my room, I'm watching the tragedy in Haiti today. I've been there, walked some of those streets that are now canvasses of death and destruction, made friends whose fate is unknown, seen their misery and their amazing resilience, and recorded indelible memories of the precious little children. I'm a words guy, but words fail me. Heartbroken is as close as I can get to describing how I feel.
The song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." It really is - for telling people about Jesus. God has divinely positioned you in the lives of some folks who don't belong to Jesus so they can have a chance to belong to Him. You are their chance, and Christmastime is your best time to tell them about the "Savior who is born to you" (Luke 2:8).
You're almost afraid to have a hero these days. Because over and over, heroes keep falling off their pedestals. Another one did this week.
Tiger Woods is the most highly paid professional athlete on earth. And he's been one of the most admired and sought after. Then the script of Tiger's terrible Thanksgiving, a script too crazy for any of us to write. In the middle of the night, he gets into a relatively minor accident right in front of his own house. That accident damaged a tree, a Cadillac Escalade - and, ultimately, a reputation. Because the doors blew off Tiger Woods' closet, and hidden relationships were suddenly out in the open.
I'm watching TV news and seeing all those parents desperately searching for a hamster. An electronic hamster, to be specific. Otherwise known by the unlikely name, Zhu-Zhu Pets. Apparently, it's this Christmas' MVP - Most Valuable Plaything.
I remember my first skiing lesson. Like just about everyone else on the bunny slope that day, I fell a few times. The only part of me that got a little beat up from that fall was the part God designed for that purpose. But today the entertainment world is mourning the sudden and shocking death of Natasha Richardson-from a head injury sustained in a fall on the beginner's slope.
When I heard a commercial airliner was down in the Hudson River, I feared the worst. I flipped on cable news, expecting the worst. It was the kind of story that almost always includes a tragic death toll. I was stunned to learn that every passenger got out alive and largely unscathed. The difference? The man at the controls.
US Air Flight 1549 didn’t last long. About three minutes. Who could have guessed that minutes after takeoff, the passengers would be in the middle of the Hudson River on a downed jetliner? I’ve been on airplanes in distress. I’ve been through emergency landings. So this one hits pretty close.
