255 Miles is Not Enough

Ike is to our southwest on its way to Galveston and Houston but you'd think it was on its way here by the weather outside. The wind really picked up yesterday afternoon and storm surge caught many by surprise as water from lakes and bayous covered streets and flooded low lying neighborhoods. The wind and high water are expected to continue throughout today and begin slacking off tomorrow. It goes without saying that we could really use a break from all this. However, regardless of what we want, the coast of Texas is about to get it and my prayers are with them. Jaime and I have some good friends that live in Houston who have decided to ride it out. Our prayers are especially with them.

I've mentioned before that I don't like praying for these storms to go somewhere else and instead pray for them to decrease in intensity or just go away. So far, Ike hasn't intensified as expected and I'm glad. However, this hasn't stopped this storm for aggravating us from afar. This is why I'm a supporter of our state's efforts to rebuild our wetlands. When our wetlands were in place they would greatly reduce storm surge but with their rapid disappearance the threat of storm surge is almost as great for storms that hit us as those that are hundreds of miles away.

The past three weeks have been a painful reminder for some and a sobering reminder for others of the effect of hurricanes on south Louisiana. Its exhausting to be completely honest. We're all ready to get back to our post Katrina lives. Three weeks is a long time to put things on hold while we hold our breath. There's prayer walks, fall festivals, state-wide evangelistic emphasis, and Crossover New Orleans right around the bend and I need to be giving them more attention than I'm able to at the moment. Its times like these that you realize just how much you have to put things in God's hands. Without His sustaining power I'd throw in the towel. No, seriously. I'd throw in the towel and go fishing. With that being the case, understand that when these events take place, it will be Christ alone who gets the glory. That's the way it should be.