Wilderness Blues- Ramblings from the Great Land

  I suppose one would have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the devastation that the most recent hurricane did to the Southeastern United States about a week ago. One of the hardest hit areas was Asheville, North Carolina, where something like thirty inches of rain fell in the mountains in twenty four hours, leaving an apocalyptic landscape behind. For as long as man has been on the earth there have been natural disasters, and if you haven't lived through one yet, there is a chance, and perhaps a good one, of experiencing one in your lifetime. Regardless of where we live, we either experience drought, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides or earthquakes or perhaps other catastrophes that aren't mentioned here. The point I'm trying to make is that none of us is exempt, and while we can watch the news of disasters in a place far away and be glad that it didn't happen to us, we're left with an opportunity to help those in need. I'm reminded of the pass...

  Unless you've been living in a cave without any opportunity to hear the news and stay abreast of current events, you most likely know that Houston Texas was hit with a devastating hurricane  a week or so ago. It appears that Florida may also be in line for a pounding from the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic. To say the least, the devastation is overwhelming. Honestly, I can't imagine what those poor folks are going through. Can you imagine losing your home, having to evacuate to a shelter with a whole bunch of other people whom you don't know, depending on someone else to provide you with a place to sleep, something to eat, perhaps something to wear. Privacy would go out the window. I don't doubt that everyone is stressed to the max from the storm. Throw in crying babies, confused elderly folks, the total lack of creature comforts, the lack of almost everything you're familiar with, and most likely the fact that you can't return to your ...

   It's been several days since the storm that stretched almost the entire length of the Eastern United States made landfall. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably seen hours of video of the destruction that it left in it's wake and heard countless reports of the devastation from the wind and floods and snow. There's no two ways about it, the storm impacted millions of people and will continue to do so for a long time to come. This is only the latest in a series of bizarre weather events that  have come upon this country. From the hurricanes to tornadoes, to floods to drought, the past few years have been horrific in terms of weather. Perhaps Al Gore is right-it's all the fault of global warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels. He's made millions of dollars in speaking engagements and books sales spouting that philosophy. He's certainly not going to change his tune when there is a profit to be made from these disasters....

 Like most of the rest of the world I've been watching the scenes in Japan unfold with a sense of horror and a feeling of sorrow for the people who have been affected. Who amongst us hasn't been affected in one way or another? As I've sat in front of the TV night after night and seen the devestation, I've been left with a feeling of despair and helplessness. I wish this hadn't happened, but it did. Every night I go to bed asking God to be merciful to those people and  to us. As bad as I feel for the folks in Japan, I'm also thankful that it didn't happen here. I'm struggling with the thoughts that I'm having- saddness that it happened, guilt for sitting here fat and happy and not having to deal with the tragedy directly, and a little anger.  I think I'm angry at God for not relenting, or intervening to prevent even more sorrow. Then it struck me today that I'm judging God. He's not doing what I think He should be doing. Why doesn't He...