I want to take a moment to purge out some things that are in and on my mind lately. The goal here is to get them out of my head so hopefully I can get accomplished the ones that need be and so that the ones that are mere ramblings will get out. For fun I'll do them as a list.
1. Why am I at work when there are people down the road from me who have lost everything and just need someone to listen to them tell their story and love them.
2. What happened to my 'break' between school classes and why must I read the entire text cover to cover in two weeks?
3. Why are some people so inclined to feel compelled to behave how they think the person on the other side of the room expects them to?
4. Why do we expect anything out of anyone?
5. I love the people around me who are 'real' and who see through me.
6. When will I be able to take a normal shower or bath again instead of an intermittent water one?
7. What part of conserve water did so many people miss?
8. Is it against the law for me to approach and ask the man watering his lawn if it didn't get enough water last weekend with the 13+" of rain we had?
9. Grocery shop
10. Find somewhere to stay during orientation in June.
11. Breathe.
Okay so that's enough for lists for now. I want to proclaim loudly that I am proud of myself for surviving yesterday without a tear. That is a God thing! I marked 13 years yesterday since my life forever changed. I lost a piece of me that I will never be able to have back and have oftentimes thought about her and what she would be doing now. Do not pity me, I don't want it. I type this with a smile on my face because I remember all the fun we had and all the trouble we caused in our 15 years, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. If I had the chance to do any of it over I'd spend even less time disagreeing with her, but still wouldn't cave and just let her have her way all the time. So, self, I'm proud of you!!!!
Switching gears:
Life is too short to spend it angry or trying to change someone. Our devotion leader this week for work said the coolest thing this morning that immediately made me think of that old DC Talk song, Luv is a verb. He said, "Love is a choice to act in spite of our feelings." I know some of you remember the song I'm talking about here. But he's right, just like I've said before to people, none of us has to have one another in our lives, we choose to allow people to be a part and share our lives because we love them, and even when they may hurt us or make us angry we still love them. All of that to say, go and find someone to love that maybe you haven't given the chance.
5.07.2010
5.06.2010
We will survive!!!
As many of you know our beloved Nashville and other parts of Tennessee are or have been over the last weekend, under water. Most of the national news media has been delayed in realizing the magnitude of our circumstances citing us as not being near a 'major' river or the coast. They are just now beginning to be on the ground here to see the devastation and the vastness of the cleanup to come. I am not complaining here, I'm stating a fact and let me follow it with a second, I'm glad they are here so that perhaps now we can begin to receive the help that will be so very needed.
I have some pictures posted here so you can see some areas that have been affected. I will tell you that having spent the better part of the weekend watching the news as the waters rose, and checking in on friends and family to be sure of their safety I was in awe of what was around me. As of yesterday our church Nashville Grace Church of the Nazarene became a distribution center for the local neighborhood behind it that was hit especially hard. We had people at the church all day yesterday organizing the family life center until it now looks like a smaller version of Wal-Mart. The children and teens spent the regular church time compiling 151 Crisis Care Kits as did some other local churches. We had a crew of people making more sack lunches and a second crew helping to pull up carpets and other furnishings that were damaged in our own building while still others gathered for to pray for the people who will be helping to clean up and the people who have lost so much while praising God for the protection that so many experienced. While all of this was going on at our campus, teams of others of us went on foot, sometimes wading, into that neighborhood last night to hand out bottled water and sack lunches to the residents that have been allowed back in and are now trying to cope with and clean up their loss. I was amazed time and again last night at people who turned us down saying things like "Thank you but I am okay, the people down the road need it more, please go help them." Then we found people who were brought to tears when we told them that the distribution center would be open to them providing anything they can need as well as meals (props to Quizno's, Papa Johns, Mc Donald's and many more) for at the minimum, a week and that if they need major things done such as tearing out drywall and removing carpets and flooring or just help carrying belongings out to the street's edge all they need to do is call the church office and leave their name and address because we have people who are just waiting to be told where to go to work. One woman told me that she can't believe there are people who would want to go into the mess and just get dirty. I told her, that's why we are the church. We want to help people in any way that they may need the help, and that our goal is to see them restored. She smiled and simply said, "Unbelievable." Other people said they were so overwhelmed they hadn't even thought about eating dinner, and others told us they couldn't believe the outpouring of people willing to help out.
For those of you who are statistically minded, here is how everything has ended up: The Cumberland River is in flood stage when the water reaches 40 feet. The record levels were set in 1929 at 56.2 feet. During the 2010 Nashville flooding, river levels were at 51.86 feet, indicating how horrific this really is. The death toll last I heard was 9 in Nashville with others in the counties around middle and west Tennessee. As of 12:30 yesterday the water levels were at 48.35 feet. There are still parts of the city that people have not been allowed back into their homes to even assess the damage. If you would like to help, there are plenty of ways you can pitch in. One is to give gift cards or pre-loaded visa cards so that people may use them to purchase rebuilding supplies, cleaning supplies, or food products as they need them. Another way is donate to one of the organizations heading up relief efforts, you can find a list of some of them here. And of course if you have the availability to do so, get in touch with one of the organizations above, or call a local church and see what they are doing and ask how to help them. In the meantime, I would ask that all of you continue to pray for Nashville. Pray for the volunteers as they will be working multiple jobs through this, pray for the victims and their families. Pray that we may be able to be Jesus to the people who are hurting during this time and that some of them will come to know Jesus for themselves.
I have some pictures posted here so you can see some areas that have been affected. I will tell you that having spent the better part of the weekend watching the news as the waters rose, and checking in on friends and family to be sure of their safety I was in awe of what was around me. As of yesterday our church Nashville Grace Church of the Nazarene became a distribution center for the local neighborhood behind it that was hit especially hard. We had people at the church all day yesterday organizing the family life center until it now looks like a smaller version of Wal-Mart. The children and teens spent the regular church time compiling 151 Crisis Care Kits as did some other local churches. We had a crew of people making more sack lunches and a second crew helping to pull up carpets and other furnishings that were damaged in our own building while still others gathered for to pray for the people who will be helping to clean up and the people who have lost so much while praising God for the protection that so many experienced. While all of this was going on at our campus, teams of others of us went on foot, sometimes wading, into that neighborhood last night to hand out bottled water and sack lunches to the residents that have been allowed back in and are now trying to cope with and clean up their loss. I was amazed time and again last night at people who turned us down saying things like "Thank you but I am okay, the people down the road need it more, please go help them." Then we found people who were brought to tears when we told them that the distribution center would be open to them providing anything they can need as well as meals (props to Quizno's, Papa Johns, Mc Donald's and many more) for at the minimum, a week and that if they need major things done such as tearing out drywall and removing carpets and flooring or just help carrying belongings out to the street's edge all they need to do is call the church office and leave their name and address because we have people who are just waiting to be told where to go to work. One woman told me that she can't believe there are people who would want to go into the mess and just get dirty. I told her, that's why we are the church. We want to help people in any way that they may need the help, and that our goal is to see them restored. She smiled and simply said, "Unbelievable." Other people said they were so overwhelmed they hadn't even thought about eating dinner, and others told us they couldn't believe the outpouring of people willing to help out.
For those of you who are statistically minded, here is how everything has ended up: The Cumberland River is in flood stage when the water reaches 40 feet. The record levels were set in 1929 at 56.2 feet. During the 2010 Nashville flooding, river levels were at 51.86 feet, indicating how horrific this really is. The death toll last I heard was 9 in Nashville with others in the counties around middle and west Tennessee. As of 12:30 yesterday the water levels were at 48.35 feet. There are still parts of the city that people have not been allowed back into their homes to even assess the damage. If you would like to help, there are plenty of ways you can pitch in. One is to give gift cards or pre-loaded visa cards so that people may use them to purchase rebuilding supplies, cleaning supplies, or food products as they need them. Another way is donate to one of the organizations heading up relief efforts, you can find a list of some of them here. And of course if you have the availability to do so, get in touch with one of the organizations above, or call a local church and see what they are doing and ask how to help them. In the meantime, I would ask that all of you continue to pray for Nashville. Pray for the volunteers as they will be working multiple jobs through this, pray for the victims and their families. Pray that we may be able to be Jesus to the people who are hurting during this time and that some of them will come to know Jesus for themselves.
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