Hurt-icane

Two months later and the world has totally changed.

In case you missed it at the end of my last ramblings, Anna and I are expecting again. That's our biggest news on a personal level. But unless
you've been on Mars, you know all about the double whammy that has hit the Gulf coast.

I've never been to New Orleans, and now I never will, at least not the way it was. While I don't doubt that there will always be Mardi Gras, Jazz,
and Cajun cooking, they will exist in a city that has drastically changed. Even if they somehow could rebuild it exactly the way it was, the people
have been touched by a disaster that has affected them on too many levels to ever get their lives back to anything resembling the normal they
knew. The worst part is that it was the every day people, the ones who really are the life blood of any city, who were most affected. The working
class, or more appropriately, the working poor. Those who, even when ordered to leave, couldn't. In spite of the coming storm, they couldn't take
the day off, couldn't afford the gas to go any where, couldn't afford a hotel room when they got there.

Unfortunately, their in-ability to leave was coupled with poor planning on the part of relief agencies. They had assumed the most people would
have followed the evacuation order. They hadn't counted on the thousands, then the hundreds of thousands that would need help. Was it their
fault they couldn't leave? No. Was it FEMA's fault they didn't get help right away? No. Who’s to blame? Well, if we must blame someone, then all of
America is to blame. All of us.

All of us because we have accepted a system where we have a class of people who work hard day after day but still live on the fringe of
starvation. A system where stuff has taken priority over concern for your fellow man. A system where we assume that just because the poorest
American has more then the wealthiest person in the so-called Third World that they have all they need to survive in the American Way.

I am tired of people who are looking for a scapegoat. The head of FEMA resigned. That wasn't good enough, so people are asking for the
President to be removed. Why? Because that same system that has allowed the term "working poor" become part of our vocabulary also has led
us to believe that nothing is our fault, it’s always someone else to blame.

When are we going to realize that selfish materialism has given us a reality just as fake and unfulfilling as the computer generated world in the
movie "The Matrix". A reality driven and controlled by the machines of wealth, greed, and fantasy of a better life full of stuff. And underneath is

the
gritty reality of those under the machine's spell, a class of people who do 90% of the work for 10% of the reward.

There is a better way. Some of us have found it. We haven't arrived yet, but we're on the way. Have we escaped the Matrix? No, but we know
we will. In the meantime we don't have to follow the rules, because the rules of the world ain't working for us, they're working against us. What is
this way? Maybe you've heard it, too.

"Jesus said 'I am the way, the truth, and the life...'"

Some Stuff

Hey!! Email us at theandersenbunch@msn.com!!!!!

Another two weeks gone by - actually 3 now. Is anyone out there? I started this as an attempt to reconnect with my extended family, my mother, my niece, and through them my brother, aunts and uncles and anyone else who thinks I may have isolated myself from. Are you all out there? Are you reading this? I'm trying. The demands of my career and six kids doesn't give me any time for much of anything except sleep, and even then not much.

So here we are, well into the school year. Tasha, Cheni, and Derek are all at the top of their classes now. I knew once they got used to the routine they would do well, but I didn't expect this! I'm so proud!We're still home schooling Destiny and Ian.

Hey! Wanna hear something cute? Click here (sound file lost) and

here (sound file lost).The first one is Ian singing in Navajo. I still don't know what the words mean, but it's

something like "Jesus oh how wonderful you are to me." The second one is Grace, she starts out with "Jesus loves me" then goes into the same thing Ian

sang (with a little prodding from Dad!) Here's another one. Click here (sound file lost). This one is all the

kids doing their rendition of "The Pirates who don't do anything". (Never heard of it? No worries, the song pretty much speaks for itself. Not exactly

one of the classics of modern compositions, but then again there hasn't been any since Duran Duran broke up.)

Learned something about myself last week. We had a managers meeting, actually a retreat, up in Estes Park. We were sequestered in this cabin way up

in th mountains, at about 8000 feet - miles from anywhere. Mostly the meeting was boring business stuff, but the first night we got to connect with

each other. We were instructed to bring three things that represent us, then we shared them around the campfire. It took me three days to come up with

stuff - maybe I thought too hard on it? Most everyone brought their Bible and pictures of their families or some other nick-nack that reminded them of

a favorite trip or something. I, on the other hand, tried to really follow the instructions - three things that represent me. I took that to mean

three things that are a metaphor for my life.

At the time I didn't know we were going to be sharing these things around a campfire, so I thought way outside the box. The first thing I found

that represents me was the movie "The Matrix". So I went and downloaded this

picture of Neo to share. Now before you wrinkle up your nose and go "why?" - thinking that a movie that promotes so much violence isn't an

appropriate family choice - hear me out.

The first movie in the trilogy is about Neo (aka Mr. Andersen!) questioning "is this all there is" and discovering the world he thought was real,

wasn't. He goes through a process of discovering the nature of reality and then awakens to the true nature of that reality and another life - not an

easier life, one that is at war, but he discovers his true place in the universe.

My conversion experience can be is a lot like that. While sitting at the funeral of a friends child I found myself asking "is this all there is?"

And something told me "no, it's not, go figure out what is". This set me on a journey. I went through the whole analytical process, studying all

religions. And I discovered The Truth, and woke up in a different world - not easier, but I have found my place in the universe.

Which leads me to my second item. this song (sound file lost). Once I discovered the true nature of reality, reality bit

back. We've gone through some bizzare things in the past 4 years. But through it all, we're ok. Give it a listen, you'll get a kick. (Incidentally I

sang this for the group around the campfire... no, I won't sing it for you.)

That brings me to number 3. A quote. No, not from the Bible, though that is always nearest and dearest to my heart. But this one pretty much sums

up how we as Christians should look at life....

On days when life is difficult and I feel overwhelmed, as I do fairly often, it helps to remember in my prayers that all God requires of me is to

trust Him and be His friend. I find I can do that. --Bruce Larson

'nuf said.

So, anyway, I'm on vacation this week. We really wanted to head back to the midwest, but I didn't get enough time off to make it worth the drive,

plus we needed to fix the brakes on the van before heading over the mountains - unless we wanted to take an extra day - and then we're just getting

out of New Mexico before vacation time runs out and we have to head back. I still have a lot of time left to use up, but I can't use it until January.

Actually, I HAVE to use it in January. So we'll see.

That's it for now... please write back!