A quick hello from Birmingham, Alabama, where I will be speaking and signing copies of my book, The Promise of Hope, at the Books-A-Million store at Brookwood Village, from 7 to 9 pm tonight.
I am really enjoying my brief stay here, and not just because of the perfect spring weather. It’s good old Southern hospitality that makes this part of the country perfect almost any time of the year.
But parts of the South, particularly Alabama, have suffered terribly in the wake of the horrific storms that hit here recently. Scores were killed and thousands are homeless. This is their Katrina, their September 11, and I am not sure the rest of the country fully realizes this. And now come the floodwaters along the Mississippi and other major waterways. Things are not going to get any easier.
That’s why I am so moved by the optimism and faith and goodwill that the folks here continue to exhibit in the face of such tragedy. It’s what we saw in New York after the Twin Towers attack. And we will see it again in the challenges that the future holds for us all.
Don’t forget these folks in your prayers. Guideposts Outreach is doing everything possible to get our literature to the 350 churches affected in the devastated areas and you can read a story from one of our contributors, Ginger Rue, whose church was destroyed in a tornado. Go to OurPrayer.org to add your voice to the chorus of prayer going out for the people of Alabama and other affected areas.
Meanwhile I hope to meet a lot of you from the Birmingham area tonight at Books-A-Million and tomorrow at Barnes & Noble on San Jose Blvd. in Jacksonville, Florida, at 3 pm.
