^"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

John 14: 13-14

First off, let me say it's nice to be writing again.  Life sort of 'happened' over the last several months, and thankfully I've been much busier with my day job, so blogging took a back seat to making a living.  I knew I couldn't stay silent forever.  Thank you for being patient.

I'm sitting at my desk thinking about the struggles that the people on the east coast are dealing with.  The images we're being shown on the news are horrible.  The lines at the gas stations ... the thought of going a week or more without power ... losing everything you ever owned ... and for many, losing loved ones forever.  I found myself trying to find a starting point to pray for that situation, wondering where do I begin?  There are so many in need!  I'm one who likes to pray for specific things, not just "Dear God, help all those people.  Amen."  Not that that is a bad prayer ... no prayer is a bad prayer ... but being the somewhat detail oriented person I am, I prefer to pray in detail.

While thinking about all of this, I wondered what the people in New York and New Jersey, or Pennsylvania and West Virginia,  who don't practice a faith in Jesus are doing right now?  Who, or what, are they calling out to?  The verse above lets Christ followers know what to do, and even how to do it.  But what does everyone else do?

In wondering I'm reminded of a time when I read on Facebook where someone was asking for people to "think positive thoughts" and "send positive energy" regarding a situation.  My response, which for once I kept to myself, was quite callous.  And maybe it's still callous.  What on earth could I do for someone by sitting in my recliner thinking positive thoughts?  And if your name isn't Iron Man, or Storm, what sort of positive energy can you emit that would be strong enough to change the outcome of events?  It's a silly request, and a silly statement, but when you have no other frame of reference, I guess that's all you've got ... your thoughts.

I don't put much weight on thinking positive thoughts in terms of healing one's self, or changing things.  If that's all it took, I would have 'thought' my way to dating the homecoming queen in high school.  If my thought's had that much power, I never would have flunked out of college.  If simply thinking about positive 'things' could change the course of someone's life, I never would have had to deal with depression for six years.  I could have wrapped it all up in an afternoon.  I'm a fan of being positive.  I'm a fan of looking at the glass as being half full.  I'm a fan of approaching problems with a naive optimism.  And I'm a fan of being positive ... but that's just a frame of mind, not a changer of events.

No ... I'd much rather rely on the One who created me than rely on me.  I'd rather pray (i.e., have a one to one conversation with God) about a situation, bringing to the One who can actually do something (He's got a six day resume' that's pretty impressive ... and don't even get me started on what His son can do) than to try to figure out how to summon 'energy' on my own.  

If the events and remnants of hurricane Sandy show us anything, it's how valuable life is.  And how it can be taken from us in a moment.  If you're one who prays, please take a moment out to pray for those affected by Sandy.  If you've never prayed to God, or if you never made a decision to follow Jesus, make that your first prayer.  Tell him you want to start over, that you want him to wipe the slate clean, and that you want to be forgiven.  You won't regret it.