It was a beautiful Sunday morning in May. Worship was delightful, and I was excited about my afternoon plans. After church I hustled home, changed my clothes, gathered my gear and started what was normally a 15 minute drive to my girlfriend’s home.
As I drove along the freeway I noticed in my rear view mirror that the sky was starting to get dark and I began to feel a little disappointed with the potential for ‘game delay’ due to rain showers. I tried to regain my enthusiasm by playing my music extra loud and telling myself that the showers would be quick.
That was when I noticed that it was quickly becoming pitch black – not thunderstorm dark, but middle of the night dark. The next thing I knew, my windshield was being covered, not in rain but with an eery substance. Moments later as I pulled into the driveway it was dark and the substance on my windshield was also beginning to significantly accumulate on their driveway. I jumped out of my car and ran to the front door where my girlfriend’s father greeted me, “What are you doing here? You’ve been driving in this stuff – are you crazy? Did you miss the news that the volcano just blew up?”
One moment everything seems fine, the next it is utter chaos. If you’ve lived through a tornado, hurricane, firestorm, massive flooding, blizzard or yes an exploding volcano, you know that the natural elements can be incredibly brutal. Yet living through my share of the aforementioned list, amidst heart wrenching loss, God’s grace shows up in the generosity of others.
I have been in regular contact with my colleagues and friends who have and are being impacted by Hurricane Harvey. All describe devastating loss. All imagine it will take significant time to recover. All share stories about the abundance of the human spirit showing the love of Christ to hurting communities. Please continue to keep all those impacted by the storm in your prayers. Please consider sharing your resources with those desperately in need. Please continue to be a part of God’s grace showing up with those who need to feel the loving arms of Christ wrap around them.
The Hurricane Harvey Response Fund of Episcopal Relief and Development is receiving donations to provide emergency assistance to people recovering from the impact of flooding after this major storm.
You can also find a video of the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s response to Hurricane Harvey, and call for prayer and support here.
Source: Bishop Brian Prior – God’s Grace Showing Up