A of the growing trends on the worldwide web is blogging. In case you don’t know the term, it is short for weblog. You can find blogs on every subject, but more and more people are simply doing it as a way to record their thoughts, observations, opinions and life journey. Sort of like what you are reading here.

I came across ThinkChristian.net, a site where they talk about Christ, culture and the ways that faith plays out in everyday life. Their current question is “Why do you blog?” and they have several posts from people. You might want to visit it – here.

As I end this blog entry I pray for all of us to have an ongoing spiritual awakening, an awareness of how God is alive in our lives and that there may be comfort and help for all along the Gulf Coast bracing for hurricane Rita.

Tom Gilbert

One of the great concerns we have right now is how to pay for relief efforts and rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The cost will be many billions and it will impact us all. Already we are seeing higher consumer prices as a result of the increase in gas prices. The winter ahead will also have higher heating costs.

Meanwhile Hurricane Rita is churning in the Gulf of Mexico and has become a category 4 with sustained winds of 140 mph. It may hit the coastal regions of Texas, or even storm-battered Louisiana, by the weekend.

This time perhaps the government will be better prepared. But all of us must do something when faced with such natural disasters. While the question of “how will we pay?” remains, perhaps we should also be asking “how will we pray?” We can’t act blindly on self-centered motives. We need God in our lives and providing us guidance and inspiration.

One of the more difficult things to do on a daily basis, for me anyway, is to recognize that my individual thoughts and actions are not isolated from the world I live in. They affect others, and they affect me. How I participate in the lives of others is expressed in how I treat both myself and others. Community and participation are key components in living. No matter how isolated or insulated we choose to be we are still part of God’s creation.

When we can truly accept this and set aside our little ego concerns we can see how all of us share in the responsibility for our actions. This means we accept when we are wrong (our sins) and do something about it (make amends, seek forgiveness and accept grace).

It is not easy to accept that life is not about you and that you are about life. The ego fights it and demands that we recognize our own importance. When faced with our own inadequacies – our powerlessness to control life – we have a choice to either accept it and seek help or deny it. Denial only leads to spiritual blindness, justification, rationalization, righteousness, anger, fear, terror and other negative states. Or we try to avoid the reality by escaping through our addictions. That’s just a downward spiral.

Ultimately it is easy to follow the true pattern set before us by the Christ. Accept our deficiencies and our faults and refuse to give in to the “natural” reactions to be hurtful. The Spirit of God within us can awaken us to the reality that with God loving us and others in and with and through us we can change. We can be transformed.

Tom Gilbert

Many people, in the wake of destruction and death from Hurricane Katrina, are asking “Why?” It’s hard to bear so much suffering. Reports of 10,000, 20,000 or even 25,000 dead in New Orleans – this is staggering. And the recovery is really just beginning.

It is easy to question your faith in God at times like this, but history shows us over and over again that God works through people in tragedy to bring good from bad. It’s ok to be angry or frustrated. But we shold all be doing something to help ease the suffering of our brothers and sisters. This is Christianity in a nutshell – helping and loving others. This is what Jesus came to teach and show us. And He told us God cares and to call upon Him for strength, inspiration, encouragement and the power to do the work that must be done.

Please do help – churches and relief agencies can steer you in the right direction. Maybe you can open your home to relocated evacuees as many are doing here in Albuquerque. See our Spotlight Cause for more.