A tornado touched down in the woods behind our property here in New Roads. A tornado ripped up a neighborhood near where we live in Thibodaux. I am grateful beyond what I can express that my family is safe and that all of our homes are relatively undamaged.
On the day before Gustav came through, I spent time reading the Bible, turning to passages that are comforting to me. The only Bible here is a KJV, with it's stately and beautiful language. I turned to the passage below from Paul's Epistle to the Philippians:
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."Then I turned again to Paul from Romans:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
The same Paul, whose words I sometimes shrink from, that same Paul's words were a source of strength and consolation in my time of stress.
Then I turned to the wonderful Chapter 61 from Isaiah and the Beatitudes from Luke 6, where I was once again blessed and comforted.
Thanks be to God! Amen, and amen, and amen! Alleluia! "My cup runneth over."
Alleluia indeed! :D
ReplyDeleteBless us (and you especially Mimi)
ReplyDeleteOur brother Jesus, you set our feet upon the way and sometimes where you lead we do not like or understand. Bless us with courage where the way is fraught with dread or danger; bless us with graceful meetings where the way is lonely; bless us with good companions where the way demands a common cause; bless us with night vision where we travel in the dark, keen hearing where we have not sight, to hear the reassuring sounds of fellow travellers; bless us with humour - we cannot travel lightly weighed down with gravity; bless us with humility to learn from those around us; bless us with decisiveness where we must move with speed; bless us with lazy moments, to stretch and rest and savour; bless us with love, given and received; and bless us with your presence, even when we know it in your absence. Lead us into exile, until we find that on the road is where you are, and where you are going is home. Bless us, lead us, love us, bring us home bearing the Gospel of life.
Kathy Galloway, in Coracle 3, no 11. Iona Community 1992.
Oh grandmere, you have just said the two passages that really have kept me going all these years - especially the first one. How did you do that? (I think I have said that I grew up in tornado alley. This evening the remnants of Hanna are scooting up the coast toward us. They have cancelled the tornado scare, but I suppose we'll get a little wind and a lot of rain.) Grateful that you escaped, twice or three times, and thinking that you are one deeply faithful woman.
ReplyDeleteBut, I digress. I am spending the evening with Mae West.
The Philippians passage has always been my favourite as well. Prayers of thankfulness for God's care of you and your family but prayers for those not so lucky especially thinking of the people in Haiti
ReplyDeleteAnd prayers also for Cuba, which didn't do too well with Gustav, and will now have to deal with Ike.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I woke up to see the "cone of terror" (as a local radio DJ calls it) centered on my house here in Florida. The local TV starting talking about the Ike strike, and people began running around like chickens after Grandpere cut off their heads for you to cook them.
This morning, I woke up to see the "cone of error" centered on YOUR house. It seems to be taking a very similar path to Gustav. But hopefully, as the projected path changed a couple of hundred miles southward, it can also change a couple of hundred miles westward. Perhaps it will pay Crawford a visit and then stay together as an extra tropical low long enough to see what kind of a place Wasilla really is.
And remember that God made the storm like God made everything else, and just like everything else, God is in the storm even when it seems at its worst--especially, perhaps, when it seems at its worst. "He rides upon the cherubim."
And if anyone doubts that hurricanes can strike the same place twice--two of the hurricanes that hit Florida back in 2005 made landfall at almost exactly the same spot within three weeks of each other--and all four storms passed over the Orlando area at some point in their paths, all within the period of one one month.
Those are some of my very favorite passages. I'm so glad you came through safely.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful and of course we did talk about Paul and the KJV and so forth on the phone. Lovely and inspiring post here, thank you.
ReplyDeletePrayers also for the people of Haiti. We had a lay missioner give a talk at mass today and he is headed to Haiti on Monday. He works there in abject poverty and is really concerned about what he will find.
Our parish is praying for the people of Louisiana.
franiam,
ReplyDeletewe have a doctor in the locale who goes to Haiti regularly...
in the meantime, damn!, her name is "Ike" and she is headed for our dear grandmere.
Let us pray!
Great passages! I'm often amazed of the application and peace-giving nature of the ancient writings of scripture. One does not have to believe in inerrancy in order to be blessed by them.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of all the bad things people have to say about Paul, it was many of his writings that helped me take the final steps out. He was radical for his day, charting the early moments of the "Big Bang of Grace." The trouble is, many of his readers think the trajectory of ever-expanding grace stopped after Paul's writings, which is, of course, just silly.
Thanks be to God that you and your family continue to be safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul, when he'd good, is very, very good, and when he's bad - well, he's very much like that little girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead.
I'm glad this time he wasn't horrid.
Great passages, Mimi. I agree with Elizabeth about Paul. Glad these were the good sections. I have little time to read blogs while on the road but always check in here to see how you are doing. Cyberhug!
ReplyDelete(((((((((((( Mimi ))))))))))))
Mimi,
ReplyDeleteOT: You should slip over to the Grapevine when you get a chance. There is someone that looks an great deal like you over there.
That scripture has the power to calm, reassure and be a source of comfort down the ages is its ongoing gift.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that you and those you love are safe. I worry about you, you know.
ReplyDeleteAmen Mimi --- we are in London - on the end of our journey -- will fly to Seattle on Tuesday and get home before we leave here LOL
ReplyDelete