Missouri River Flood of 2011 Update

Interstates Sustain Heavy Damage From Flood - Missouri River Flooding Extended Coverage News Story - KETV Omaha
http://www.ketv.com/missouri-river-flooding-extended-coverage/29026521/detail.html#.Tl57WgoxvEQ.blogger

Daily Living Tips

I feel encased within a timepiece that can at times rob me of my peace. Left unto ourselves, some of us would race and others of us would rust. Either way we would speed past or sleep through the joy. We need to make peace with the timepiece so we don't spend our time beating our heads against the clock.

Here are some tips. I'll try them if you will.

1.  Don't cram everyday so full you can't enjoy the journey.
2.  Don't under-plan and miss the thrill of a fruitful day.
3.  Don't underestimate a nap, a rocking chair, and a good book.
4.  Don't become a sloth.
5.  Do offer your gratitude for the moments assigned to you.
6.  Do celebrate even the passing of days.              -Patsy Clairmont

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."     -Colosians 3:23

The Almighty says: "see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."    -Malachi 3:10

Flooded Streets

"This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad." (Psalms118:24)                                      

Streets Flooding in Council Bluffs

We had a storm the other night - wind, golf-ball and larger hail, and lots and lots of rain!  Just what we do not need with the flooding in our area. But we got it anyway for reasons we have no clue.

But you know God knows whats going on down here far better that we do, so I just put my trust in Him.  He created this earth and even when we don't know the "whys" of these things we can know the "Who" that made it all work together. 

After the storm the other night I got up to go to work and my sister-in-law called to tell me they had water in their basement, that some of the streets were closed due to flooding, and the schools were not going to start for a while. So I drove down a couple of streets on my way to work.  Actually these streets were in a 10 block area of where I live!  I count my blessings every day when I just have a few spots of water in my basement and these people have water draining from their basements all the time! 

Sure enough there was street after street filled with water.  So many feeling so bad about their houses, cars, etc.  What do you say to these people???  I know it is hard to "rejoice" and be "glad" in it when you are the ones in the middle of all this water! But I can say that God is still true, He is still watching over you, He is still on the throne of this world . . . even when it may not seem like it at the moment!  Just remember that He cares for you, He loves you, He wants us to look to Him in our time of distress, in our times of need. 

Psalms 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that takes refuge in Him."

Turn to Him and look around you and taste and see what God has in store for you today! Look for that smile, hello, how are you doing, that flooded street, that kid enjoying running through the rain!  Look and See!

  

I've found that many times it is the small things in life - those ordinary things that turn into extraordinary things.  Things like a smile, a hug, a kind word, a little compassion. It's in these things that I sense His tenderness and His graciousness.  I think every day is filled with God - if we will just look around us and feel His touch, His face, His voice, His love.  Look around you and see if you can "rejoice" and be "glad" and "taste and see" that He is good - even when the waters are high, tensions are strained, finances are stretched. Look and see for He is Good! 

These kids on this next block made the most of the water situation in their street and yard and the parents seemed to be making a memory those kids will never forget as long as they live!  A friend of mine commented on this picture . . . "Iowa a place to row"!!  Enjoy the moment - even when it is somewhat difficult - trust God to help you today!

THE RUSTIC CHICK: BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

THE RUSTIC CHICK: BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: "Well folks I did it! I made these Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies last night because when I saw the recipe I couldn't resist trying them. They..."

Check these out - my daughter made these cookies and brought me some!  They are so good you may want to try them.  Hannah shared the recipe on her blog - The Rustic Chick (click up above)!  They are Yummy Good!

Change

Wish You Could Reboot?

Don't you wish when life is bad and things just don't compute, that all we really had to do was stop and hit reboot?

Things would all turn out OK, life could be so sweet. If we had those special keys: Ctrl, Alt, and Delete.

Your boss is mad, your bills not paid, your wife, well she's just mute. Just stop and hit those wonderful keys that make it all reboot.

You'd like to have another job but you fear living in the street? You solve it all and start a new: Ctrl, Alt, and Delete.

Turn to your Bible and “reboot” in God’s word . . .

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” –Romans 8:37

Remember, safety is not found in the absence of danger, but in the presence of God. This quote by Fitzhugh is so true, "Though danger lurks on every side, in Christ our Lord we will abide; Our God is strong, our hope is sure - In Him alone we are secure!"  "Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him."   -Psalm 42:5  Hope for the Christian is a certainty - because its basis is Christ. 

"My sheep I know, they are My own, I leave them not in trials alone; I will be with them to the end, their Hope, their Joy, their dearest Friend."  -Unknown

There is ALWAYS "Hope" in God!

Those Old Westerns

Someone once said, "Every Happy Memory Makes Happiness Happen Again!" Here's to some of those "Happy Memories!"

One look at this film clip and you'll be young and old all over again. This clip has pictures and names -- so after 50 or so years -- say "Howdy" to some of those mini-heroes from your youth.

Just "click" and enjoy . . . Those Old Westerns

Oatmeal Days

It's not always the "red-flag crisis days" that are hardest to take. It's the "Oatmeal Days." The ordinary, "zero" days of little or no consequences. The ho-hum days filled with nothing of any particular interest. Colorless. Uninteresting. Unfascinating. Unspectacular. And unfun. The days everyone deals with.

We cope. We wend our way through the tangle of tedious activity and sandpaper people scattered through our day and get no applause, because coping is expected. We just carry on!

Not so during the "red-flag" crisis times. People tend to rally behind us with loving support. We're lifted above the crisis and enabled beyond human comprehension at times. Isn't is amazing what a little support and loving-kindness can do to get us through these times. And then with God's help - whew, we made it!!!  Have you ever said that??  I know I have many times.

On oatmeal days, after a crisis has peaked, it may seem as if friends have forsaken us, as if God doesn't care. But the reality will be that life has merely pushed us and our friends one step further in the Christian Growth-Walk. We've learned what it means to love, carry someone's burden, and lift and make the load  more bearable. We've learned what true Christian Growth-Walk is all about!
The God of the crisis times IS the God of the oatmeal days, too. Because He said He is. Because He keeps His promises - always. Because we can't get along without Him . . . and because we wouldn't want to if we could.   (Source Unknown)

So just remember that the God of the "red-flag" crisis time is also the God of the "oatmeal days! 

Flooding 2011 - Patrolling the Levees

Here's a quick view of the flooding here in the Council Bluffs, area. Not very far from me many are battling the water in their basements. My house is still dry - Thank the Lord!

Who's Packing Your Parachute??

Who Is Packing Your Parachute

View more presentations from Manzer Masood

So the philosophical question here is this: how's your parachute packing coming along? Who looks to you for strength in times of need? And perhaps, more importantly, who are the special people in your life who provide you the encouragement you need when the chips are down? Perhaps it's time right now to give those people a call and thank them for packing your chute.

Three Things That Destroy . . .

Hot Temperatures

Speaking of Temperatures . . . it has been so hot here in the mid-west!  The high temperatures of about 98-105 plus the humidity from all of the flood water has brought the temp up to 115+ degrees for the heat index!  That is way too warm for a gal my age!!  I think I have actually felt like the "popped" ear of corn!!!  LOL!  Anyway this cartoon really hit home but there isn't much we can do about it except carry on and keep that "ice tea" jug full!  So wherever you are - keep cool and before you know it we will be complaining about the snow and ice!!!!!

Temperature Preference

Flood of 2011

 

I like the fact that in spite of the flooding in our area - some people still have a little humor to share!  This was out by a driveway on my way home!!  LOL!

These are picture of Goosehaven Loop in the Crescent/Honey Creek area.  We have family that lived here.  They are all out and safe but not sure what will be left of their homes.

Lots of current in these waters!

Honey Creek entrance into river.

Rushing water beyond the river banks!

Standing Tall

Standing for what you believe in regardless of the odds against you, and the pressure that tears at your resistance . . . is Courage.

Keeping a smile on your face when inside you feel like dying, for the sake of supporting others . . .
is Strength.



Stopping at nothing and doing what’s in your heart that you know is right . . . is Determination.

Doing more than is expected, to make another’s life a little more bearable, without uttering a single complaint . . .
is Compassion.

Helping a friend in need, no matter
the time or effort, to the best of
your ability . . . is Loyalty.

Holding your head high and being
the best you know you can be
when life seems to fall apart at your feet;
facing each difficulty with confidence
that time will bring you better tomorrows,
and never giving up . . . is Confidence.

Hold your head high and make your life better every day!

God is for me

God is for me.

God is for me.

God is for me.

God is for me.

Read again Romans 8:31-39



What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Truly He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is he condemning? It is Christ who has died, but rather also who is raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, "For Your sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep of slaughter." But in all these things we are more than conquer through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.     -Rom 8:31-39

You Are A Living Collection Of Seeds

"Most people have no idea about what a Seed really is. Showing up at work on time...is a Seed. Showing up ahead of time is another Seed. You see, anything that you can do to make life easier for your boss or anyone else...is a Seed. Millions have never used 10% of the Seed stored within them. You see, mowing the grass for your church is a Seed. Babysitting for a struggling single parent is a Seed. You are a "Living  Collection of Seeds" a museum of powerful, tiny golden passionate beginnings." 

What a great quote that is from Dr. Mike Murdock!  Stop and think about your assortment of seeds - how can you use them today?  I challenge you to open up your package of seeds and start planting them. Don't wait for the perfect little garden spot to plant them - just start planting and watch those seeds begin to take root and bloom. I have always loved that old saying, "Bloom Where You Are Planted" - Look around your and let's start planting today, ok?

Midwestern "flooding-shoe fashion"!

Here's the latest in shoe

fashion - - -

especially popular with all of

the "flooding" here in the

Midwest!!

UP - 2-letter English Word with Multiple Meanings!!

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.' It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?  

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! 

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . my time is UP !  

Did this one crack you UP?

God is our Refuge & Strength

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

    Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

    Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.

    He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.

   "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. 

                                                  -Psalm 46:1-11

Our hope is in God who KNOWS ALLthings, SEES ALL things, HEARS ALL
things and IS our Refuge!  Flood or dry places, God is in the midst of all that is around us.  For us in the mid-west, it is water - the swelling of the Missouri River.  Water overtaking towns, levees being breached, streets, highways, and interstates being closed with alternate routes around the vast flooded areas.  Detours - a change in the routine of many! Change for so many - preparation for possible flooding in our houses, farms, cities and towns. But what I notice is the pulling together of people in need - helping hands filling sand bags - offering to help pack and move belongings to higher ground.  A comradeship of those experiencing the hardships of the danger ahead!

God tells us in the above scripture that He is in the midst of all that is surrounding us - He is with us - He is our fortress!!!  What a comforting passage of scripture.  The "mother" of a blogger friend of mine (Karen) sent me this scripture and it was just what I needed after a hard weekend of packing belongings in preparation for the "unknown"! Will the levees hold for two months with more water being released from the dams up North or will they breach?! We just don't know. Some of us live very close to the levee - 1 mile away and the interstate is closed just 10 blocks up the street, people are loading up their possessions and moving in with family or friends.  The unknown is very frustrating!! Is it going to flood down my street or not??  Oh, how I wish I knew!! I don't know . . . but I do know that God knows what is out there tomorrow, next week, next month, even two months down the road. 

You know I can worry myself until I am sick! But I know that those of us here in the Midwest can only do what we can to "prepare" and "leave" the Missouri River and it's ongoing problems with God . . .

"Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling".  I know that I must, as Psalms 43 tells me, "be still and know that He is God and He will be exalted in the earth!  The Lord of hosts is with me and He is my fortress!"

Pencil Maker's Important Lessons

Pencil Maker told the pencil's 5 important Lessons just before putting it in the box:

1. Everything you do will always leave a mark.

2. You can always correct the mistakes you make.

3. What is important is what is inside of you.

4. In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings, which will only make you better.

5. To be the best pencil, you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities. Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you and then allow yourself to be guided by the hand of God.

'I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.'

                                                 (unknown contributor)

Friends - work & play

When You Are Low on Hope

As we here in Iowa are experiencing flooding from the release of so much water from the dams up North, I just read these encouraging words by Max Lucado and thought I would share them with you.

Water. All Noah can see is water. The evening sun sinks into it. The clouds are reflected in it. His boat is surrounded by it. Water. Water to the north. Water to the south. Water to the east. Water to the west. Water.

He sent a raven on a scouting mission; it never returned. He sent a dove. It came back shivering and spent, having found no place to roost. Then, just this morning, he tried again. With a prayer he let it go and watched until the bird was no bigger than a speck on a window.

All day he looked for the dove’s return.

Now the sun is setting, and the sky is darkening, and he has come to look one final time, but all he sees is water. Water to the north. Water to the south. Water to the east. Water to the …

You know the feeling. You have stood where Noah stood. You’ve known your share of floods. Flooded by sorrow at the cemetery, stress at the office, anger at the disability in your body or the inability of your spouse. You’ve seen the floodwater rise, and you’ve likely seen the sun set on your hopes as well. You’ve been on Noah’s boat.

And you’ve needed what Noah needed; you’ve needed some hope. You’re not asking for a helicopter rescue, but the sound of one would be nice. Hope doesn’t promise an instant solution but rather the possibility of an eventual one. Sometimes all we need is a little hope.

That’s all Noah needed. And that’s all Noah received.

Here is how the Bible describes the moment: “When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!” (Gen. 8:11 NIV).

An olive leaf. Noah would have been happy to have the bird but to have the leaf! This leaf was more than foliage; this was promise. The bird brought more than a piece of a tree; it brought hope. For isn’t that what hope is? Hope is an olive leaf—evidence of dry land after a flood. Proof to the dreamer that dreaming is worth the risk.

To all the Noahs of the world, to all who search the horizon for a fleck of hope, Jesus proclaims, “Yes!” And he comes. He comes as a dove. He comes bearing fruit from a distant land, from our future home. He comes with a leaf of hope.

Have you received yours? Don’t think your ark is too isolated. Don’t think your flood is too wide. Receive his hope, won’t you? Receive it because you need it. Receive it so you can share it. Receive his hope, won’t you? Receive it because you need it. Receive it so you can share it.

What do you suppose Noah did with his? What do you think he did with the leaf? Did he throw it overboard and forget about it? Do you suppose he stuck it in his pocket and saved it for a scrapbook? Or do you think he let out a whoop and assembled the troops and passed it around like the Hope Diamond it was?

Certainly he whooped. That’s what you do with hope. What do you do with olive leaves? You pass them around. You don’t stick them in your pocket. You give them to the ones you love. Love always hopes. “Love … bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4–7 NKJV, emphasis mine).

Love has hope in you.

The aspiring young author was in need of hope. More than one person had told him to give up. “Getting published is impossible,” one mentor said. “Unless you are a national celebrity, publishers won’t talk to you.” Another warned, “Writing takes too much time. Besides, you don’t want all your thoughts on paper.”

Initially he listened. He agreed that writing was a waste of effort and turned his attention to other projects. But somehow the pen and pad were bourbon and Coke to the wordaholic. He’d rather write than read. So he wrote. How many nights did he pass on that couch in the corner of the apartment reshuffling his deck of verbs and nouns? And how many hours did his wife sit with him? He wordsmithing. She cross-stitching. Finally a manuscript was finished. Crude and laden with mistakes but finished.

She gave him the shove. “Send it out. What’s the harm?”

So out it went. Mailed to fifteen different publishers. While the couple waited, he wrote. While he wrote, she stitched. Neither expecting much, both hoping everything. Responses began to fill the mailbox. “I’m sorry, but we don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts.” “We must return your work. Best of luck.” “Our catalog doesn’t have room for unpublished authors.”

I still have those letters. Somewhere in a file. Finding them would take some time. Finding Denalyn’s cross-stitch, however, would take none. To see it, all I do is lift my eyes from this monitor and look on the wall. “Of all those arts in which the wise excel, nature’s chief masterpiece is writing well.”

She gave it to me about the time the fifteenth letter arrived. A publisher had said yes. That letter is also framed. Which of the two is more meaningful? The gift from my wife or the letter from the publisher? The gift, hands down. For in giving the gift, Denalyn gave hope.

Love does that. Love extends an olive leaf to the loved one and says, “I have hope in you.”

Love is just as quick to say, “I have hope for you.”

You can say those words. You are a flood survivor. By God’s grace you have found your way to dry land. You know what it’s like to see the waters subside. And since you do, since you passed through a flood and lived to tell about it, you are qualified to give hope to someone else.

The Great Missouri River Flood of 2011

Here is an update of recent photos along the Missouri River area - click through them and remember these people in your prayers ...

Blessings in floods, sickness, heartache & hurt

We look around us today and see water seeping up all around us in basements, roadways, parking lots - it seems to be everywhere.  But what we don't seem to always see is the blessings in a time of flood!  Can there be some blessings in all of this?? One thing I have sensed as I have cleaned out the basement (in case the water comes in) and as I have sorted through things upstairs - I have realized that I have a lot of "STUFF"!!  Some of it I cherish but I must say that there is a lot of it that really doesn't matter!!  As I sort out what means something to me, send things to the Goodwill, and toss other stuff, I'm reminded of what is really important in life!  What are the things that bring blessings and peace?  Family, friends and my God - everything else is just "stuff".  I realize that "hope" makes a big difference in life. 

"Hope opens doors where dispair closes them. Hope draws its power from deeply trusting god and what he does to change people's lives. Hope lights a candle instead of "cursing the darkness." Hope regards problems, small or large, as opportunities. Hope cherishes no illusions, but it does not yield to cynicism or despair." -source unknown

Whatever we are experiencing in life I challenge you to look for "your blessings".  Sometimes our blessings come in ways we never expect.  We are going through a time of flooding along the Missouri River, as the water inches it's way closer and closer to my house. We have detours because of the flood waters. We see the results of water way beyond the banks of the Missouri River engulfing farm land, houses, etc. Can there be any blessings in all of this??  I have a God that will help me find "my blessings" - if I put my hope and trust in Him! 

I recently heard this song by Laura Story - "Blessings" and it made me think about the circumstances of my own life. The things that have come across my path down through the years.  I realized that through each instance I can look back and see some blessings - some I didn't even realized at the time I was going through them!  But now I see the blessings - beyond my circumstances!  Read the words of this song and realize the question Laura poses in this awesome song . . .

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

It is a great comfort to know that God has His hands on the steering wheel of the universe!