Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Waves of Love and Mercy Must Now Follow


Psalm 4:1 (King James Version)

Psalm 4

1 “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”


The pictures of the devastation are almost beyond comprehension. The losses seem overwhelming. Hurricane Katrina has cut a swath of destruction through the Gulf of Mexico, from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

As I watched the news footage coming from the scenes of destruction I felt overwhelmed. But then I saw scenes of one Coast Guard helicopter crew plucking families, one by one, from the rooftops of homes that were almost totally inundated with water. To me it was a symbol of how we must now, one by one, do our part to come to the aid of the victims of this disaster. That’s how we will all overcome. We who were spared Katrina’s wrath must now give, dollar by dollar. We must pray, and we must also be God’s hands and feet. That’s the task ahead for all of us now.

This is not the time for despair. The rebuilding will take place. It will happen street by street, home by home, brick by brick, person by person as we do our part, one by one, to bring healing. What might seem so little to each of us who responds will, if we allow it, become a torrent of love, grace, and mercy, that will sweep over the Gulf to heal the ravages brought on by this terrible storm.

I urge that anyone reading my blog contact the American Red Cross to do their part. You can either give to the relief effort on line by linking to this website, then click on the “Donate Now” icon or you can call the Red Cross at 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669).
I also urge that those of you who are part of a faith community urge your leaders to contribute to the relief effort. In the same way we must contribute person by person, we must also do our part church by church, synagogue by synagogue, mosque by mosque, temple by temple, community by community.
Let's all of us, one by one, do our part!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

We rallied to aid those devistated by the Tsunami and now a great disaster has hit our own shores. We must equal our earlier efforts to help our American brothers and sisters and demonstrate God's love in a practical way.

Unknown said...

Hey Phil, you have a great blog, I always read it. I agree that aid is desperately needed now...lets see if other countries whom we have helped will return the favor.

/T/ said...

It's a tragic event and It's been on my mind all day.

But on a lighter note.. Is this where the band name "Katrina and the waves" comes from?

AubreyJ......... said...

This is beyond any words or pictures.....
AubreyJ...

Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ said...

To echo Rev. Dubya's sentiments - God Is with them. Each time a peril menaces us, God Is in us, above us, at both of our sides... We are never alone in the face of adversity or tragedy.

Great blog, Sir!
God Bless

Unknown said...

Phil, voted for ya again in battle.