This is how it works

One of the things I love about living in the Ozarks is the sense of community and the abundance of generosity. There were so many festivals going on yesterday it was impossible to make the rounds of all of them. Citizens in places like Gainesville, Koshkonong and Goodhope did the hard work of organizing fun gatherings which brought people from miles around to visit with dear friends and make new acquaintances.

Also on Saturday were at least two fundraising events in West Plains. One was for Ozarks Medical Center and one was for Tanner Lager. Tanner is a 12-year-old West Plains boy who was has been battling Ewing's Sarcoma cancer for five years. You can visit the Facebook page set up for his event to find out more: Tanner's Fight Benefit. If you'd like to help, call the organizers or send a message. The money raised is to help with expenses for the family and for Tanner's wish/bucket list. It's difficult to think of a 12-year-old who has come up with a bucket list. It includes things like eating lobster, going to a Ram's game and seeing the Statue of Liberty. 

His mom told me he's a fighter and they're not giving up. They're always waiting for one more experimental study to come his way. The one he just finished failed to shrink his tumors which are now starting to invade his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe. In the meantime he's undergoing yet another round of chemotherapy. Scores of people showed up to buy baked goods and t-shirts, bid on silent and live auction items and purchase raffle tickets.

I think of how we see the example being set by our leaders in Washington of division and strife, of accentuating our differences, which make us weak, rather than our common bonds which show our strength. I guarantee you that those gathered yesterday at the events I've mentioned and many others are of all different religious and political persuasions. And none of that mattered. We all come together to do what we can to make a difference.

The second chapter of the Book of Acts is one of my favorite sections of scripture for a variety of reasons. Verses 42-47 (with the sub-heading "The Ingathering" in my Bible) speak of the hope that comes when we live united, when we live with purpose, when we use our strengths to help make the miraculous happen.

I wish every member of Congress could have been at Tanner's benefit yesterday. I would have told them THIS is how it works. THIS is how we get things done. THIS is what makes a nation great. We work together and we don't care who gets the credit. I would have said to them as Peter preached in Acts 2, repent and ask for forgiveness.

Since the current Congress isn't interested in repenting (changing course), we have to rely on each other to do what we can, like we always have. Pray for the members of Congress. They have, almost without exception, lost their way. They are blind, they are poor in spirit and they don't know what they're missing by not working together. I hope they see the light soon.