Back from Dallas EXPO and a house of mirrors...

There are so many controdictory examples of whether things are getting worse -- or getting better in the world we're facing -- it's like living in a house of mirrors. Look in one mirror, one day, and things look small and shrunken. For example, I just got back from the Dallas Book Expo. They had expected, literally, at least 50,000 people to show up at the Dallas Convention Center. We bought a booth (see above) and were all set to help hundreds of families who walked by. On Friday, almost no one walked by all day. There were, literally, 400 people at the event -- not 50,000. On Saturday, it looked like 300 people. On Sunday, I was told that many of the events were canceled. It was incredible to see thousands of feet of convention floor space, filled with books and authors and book publishers -- and so few people. To put it in perspective, if Max Lucado was doing a book signing, how long would you expect his line to be? If you said, "Around the entire convention center!" You'd normally be right! However, at this Book Expo, I walked over, talked to my friend, Max, got caught with him for several minutes before finally, another person walked up to get a book signed by him! (By the way, Max has quit riding his road bike and is back to golfing, having golfed with Michael Hyatt, Publisher of Thomas Nelson, the day before).
That's the negative "mirror" I looked into over the weekend. Apparently, money so tight, people so scared of even buying a book -- they just stayed home.
Then on Monday it's like looking at another mirror!
The market goes up over 500 points! (Which in stock market terms is a lot in one day!!!). All that to say, I'm glad that we have a God who knows the future -- and knows us. Put in the words of 1Cor. 13:12, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." I'm thankful that in these uncertain, "house of mirror" times, we can know that while we face lots of uncertainty today, one day we'll exchange it for a full picture of Jesus, and His love and plan for our lives.
Good news in confusing times! Write more later and Lord bless, John Trent