Inspirational Sunday

"And He arose, and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, 'Peace be still'. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm." ~Mark 4:39

Rae's Thought: There's a part in the movie, Perfect Storm, where Mark Walhberg's character is in the middle of the sea, struggling to stay above water. The boat he was on has gone down and he's surrounded by fierce, hurricane winds. He looks up and sees the blue sky. It's peaceful, despite what's going on around him. He's in the eye of the hurricane.

This week's scripture comes from the story of Jesus and His disciples in the middle of the sea. While Jesus was asleep in the stern of the boat, a furious squall (hurricane-like weather) came up. The waves crashed over the boat almost causing it to capsize. The disciples were scared. They ran to Jesus asking if He cared whether they lived or died. This is where verse 39 comes in. Jesus got up, spoke, and everything calmed.

The hurricane is one of the most destructive forces of nature with winds that can reach more than 155 mph and, yet, in the eye of the storm, it's calm with no thunderstorms and little to no cloud cover. It's the calmest part of the hurricane.

When I read this, I think of the hurricanes in my life - the troubles that come at me with the force of more than 155 mph. Every single person on this earth will experience life's hurricanes - some more destructive than others. The difference is the eye of the storm. Children of God can have the most destructive life-storm known to man, yet still have that peace of God that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). We'd experience our very own eye of the storm. Because Jesus is the Son of God and is all-powerful, the clouds are unable to form around Him. Jesus is kind of like our umbrella. He protects and shields those who love Him. We may get a little wet from the storm, but we won't get drenched or drown in the waters. When He's in the midst of your storms, you can still see the blue sky. You can still experience that same peace as the character in Perfect Storm. You can feel that there is hope.

Surviving Hurricane Ike

So, this past weekend, I was busy trying to survive my first hurricane. I've been living in Houston most of my life (24 of my 32 years) and have never encountered a the force that is...the hurricane. The year before we moved here, Houston and Galveston were devastated by Hurricane Alicia (1983). Rita, a 'cane people thought for sure was going to hit Houston, only ended up hitting surrounding cities like Beaumont. Gustav, earlier this month, skipped H-town, also. We were affected by Allison (2001?), but that was a tropical storm. That leaves, Hurricane Ike.

I know I was a little nervous about what would happen. Friday, we continued to prepare and make sure everything was ready while watching the news. We watched as the waves crashed over Galveston's Seawall, built to protect Galveston. Seeing the water go over the seawall hours before Ike was to hit was enough to convince me that Ike was something serious. I'd heard that the 'cane was almost the size of Texas!

We started getting wind Friday evening. A little before midnight, the winds picked up. We fell asleep for about 2 hours, then woke up at about 2:30 a.m. The hurricane had hit, and boy, did we feel it. There's a pine tree in our front yard (in front of my bedroom window, by the way). As the winds blew, the pine tree bent here and there. We thought for sure that it wouldn't last; that it would snap and fall. I was a little nervous because if the tree were to fall backward, it would crash into my room and if it were to fall to the left, it would crash on our cars. But it's still standing, thank God. The electricity went out at about 1:00 a.m., so, we had flashlights and candles. My mom, dad, sis, and I just listened (and sometimes watched) as the hurricane did its job. No electricity = no air conditioner, so, we were hot throughout the day. At one point, when we were sure it was safe, we opened the windows to let the wind blow (this was after we were sure Ike was gone). Eventually, that wasn't enough. I feel for those who are still out of electricity. Ours came back on at about 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. Some of our neighbors and family members are still without electricity.

When we rode around to see what Ike had done, we realized just how blessed we were. The only damage we'd gotten was part of the backyard fence being knocked down.

We went around the neighborhood and saw people with most of their fence damaged, shingles torn off the roof, trees (I'm not talking about small trees either) knocked down. One person had a damaged car because the basketball goal had fallen on it. We had lots of shingles in our yard (front and back), but the shingles did not belong to us. Our roof survived. The roof of the person who lived behind us had damage. This is a short vid I took while riding around the neighborhood.

I realize that my fam and I were blessed. We've only got a damaged fence. It could've been a whole lot worse. Our house could've ended up like so many of our neighbors' houses or, worse, like those who live in Galveston. We didn't lose anyone to Hurricane Ike and our house was not flooded. I am truly blessed. Those who were devastated by Hurricane Ike are in my prayers. Kinda makes me feel grateful for what I have and appreciate it more.

Rae's Random Thoughts: Part 2

A continuation of last post...

3. 7th Anniversary of 9/11: Really, this whole country was affected, but not everyone was directly affected (didn't lose loved ones in the planes, twin towers, or Pentagon). This year, I decided to just say a little prayer to God for the continued strength of those who lost loved ones. I opted not to watch the shows that replay the images of that day. In the past, every time I watched the shows, my heart hurt. Listening to the frantic calls of the ones who didn't make it...seeing the towers fall...looking at the big hole in the Pentagon...learning that the passengers in United 93 decided to do something about the hijackers...I just didn't want to do it this year (watch the shows). The images are already forever etched into my brains. To me, it was the day America learned that she was not untouchable. I will NEVER forget that day - couldn't, even if I wanted to.

4. 12th Anniversary of Tupac's Death: Tomorrow, September 13th, will mark the 12th anniversary of Tupac's death. I felt it (in my heart) when I'd heard that he was gone, like, is this some kind of sick joke? He's not really dead...is he? And now, some magazine has listed Tupac as the most overrated person in music (link: http://news.yahoo.com/story//nm/20080903/music_nm/overrated_dc)! I mean, come on, really? I have to admit, I'd gotten tired of the "Tupac's really alive" comments that circled around since his death, BUT, to say he's overrated, in IMHO, is just plain...dumb. Pac is one of the best. His death didn't stop that. Now, he's not my all time favorite rapper (Nope, Jay Z has that title), but he is in my top 5. Overrated? I don't think so!

And last, but certainly not least,

5. Hurricane Ike: So, we're preparing for Hurricane Ike right now. It hasn't even made landfall yet, but Galveston is already having flooding issues. The waves have started crashing over the sea wall, built to protect Galveston from hurricanes. They've predicted that, after all is said and done, Galveston will be under water. I'm in Houston, which means we won't get the storm surge, but we will get the wind and rain (and, in some areas, the flooding). Thankfully, I don't live in an area that has bad flooding. We're just concerned with the wind and electricity going out. The reporters are comparing this hurricane with Hurricane Alicia, which devastated both Houston and Galveston in 1983. This is going to be weird for me. I've never been in a hurricane - always had the threat, like H. Rita - but never been in one. Hurricane Alicia hit here a year before we moved to Houston and Hurricane Rita skipped our area (although one of our windows blew out) and hit the areas about an hour or more away. My family's preparing, though. Got the food, batteries, gas, etc. The 'cane isn't set to hit 'til early tomorrow morning, but the sky's getting a little darker, and the wind is picking up on what would normally be a scorching, sunny day. My prayer is for all of us, especially those who have homes in Galveston. And, can you believe that there are still some people who refuse to leave? I'm not talking about people who can't leave. I'm talking about those who can leave, but are refusing to. Everyone (Galveston's mayor, reporters) is saying how imperative it is that they leave (even to the point of saying it's life or death) but they won't. I can't understand that. It's already flooding and Ike hasn't even hit yet. Those waves crashing above the sea wall? About 15 ft. Did I say that Ike hasn't even hit yet?

Galveston Seawall on a good day...see how far the water is?

Galveston Seawall today...15ft waves crashing against the wall.