Saturday, October 20, 2001
Saturday, October 20, 2001
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest
time, if
we do not give up.
How important it is that when life closes in on us, we don't quit fighting. We need to
heed
Winston Churchill's famous speech to the boys at his old school: "Never give up! Never
give up!
Never give up!" There are some important reasons for not giving up when life strikes its
heavy
blows.
God has never given up on us, so we should never give up either.
(Galatians 6:9
NRSV)
In April 1997, the town of Grand Forks, North Dakota was practically demolished by a
massive
flood. You and I watched the devastation on our television sets. Severe winter blizzards
had filled
the rivers with too much water, and the Red River overflowed its banks, resulting in the
evacuation of 95% of the town's population. Most of the houses and businesses in
Grand Forks
suffered terrible damage. Yet in the midst of all the chaos, the plucky staff of the local
newspaper--the Grand Forks Herald--continued to put out the paper. When their own
offices
were flooded, then consumed by an electrical fire, they set up shop at a high school in
a
neighboring town. The Herald became an information lifeline, allowing people who had
been
separated by the floods to contact one another, and directing people to emergency
shelters. The
determination of the newspaper staff inspired the people of Grand Forks; it let them
know that
their town wasn't going down without a fight.
Dear God, give me the strength to carry on your work. Amen.
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