30 Aug, 2010
Enduring Hardships
5 years after Katrina: Can it happen again?
In the five years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city has recovered better than many predicted. To paraphrase the great Southern writer William Faulkner, it has not only endured but prevailed.
Katrina cost the city more than half its population; today, it is nearly 80% of its former size. One in 10 residents is a newcomer, including a cadre of well-educated young people. Blight is declining; the middle and upper classes are growing. What was one of the nation's worst school systems is re-inventing itself. This year's Super Bowl victory by the once-awful Saints seemed to cap the comeback.
But if a storm like Katrina hit New Orleans today, some of that hard-won progress would be under water. Not the roof-high waters that drowned the city in 2005, but perhaps several feet — enough to do serious damage.
A city sitting in a bowl, with water lapping at its lip, can never be without risk. Nonetheless, as New Orleans residents like to point out, Katrina was as much a man-made disaster as a natural one. Water washed away the foundations of levees poorly designed and constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers. It was those breaches that caused so much death and destruction.
The new flood-control system is clearly stronger, but a failure of federal and local leadership at crucial moments has left New Orleans more vulnerable than it should be.
An influential panel of engineers and National Research Council scholars has warned repeatedly that the level of protection Congress ordered is inadequate for a densely populated metropolis. Engineer Robert Bea, who helped investigate why the old levees failed, believes that a storm less intense than Katrina would still cause repeated breaches, as the water found "weak links" in a system composed of new and old pieces.
"Is the city more protected in an honest way than before Katrina? Yes," says Tulane University environmental expert Mark Davis. "Is it protected as it needs to be? No."
For full story, click here Read More >>
Story and Photo courtesy of www.usatoday.com.
God Disciplines His Sons
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
12Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about enduring hardships?
I'm not going to pretend I understand a fraction of what those directly affected by Katrina had to endure. As the 5 year anniversary rolled around this weekend, several stories aired that literally brought tears to my eyes. Katrina was one of the worst disasters this country has ever had to face. My question for each of us today is simply, What is your "Katrina"? What is the most difficult circumstance you have encountered? What hardship have you had to endure in your walk with Jesus? What has happened that almost derailed you in your walk? And could it happen again?
Tyndale's Life Application Bible Study Notes remind us that "to live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. We will stumble if we look away from him to stare at ourselves or at the circumstances surrounding us. We should be running for Jesus, not ourselves, and we must always keep him in sight." The only way for us to be as prepared as we need to be to handle the hardships in our lives, is to fix our eyes on Jesus.
How can I connect God's Story to My Life?
- What is "hindering" you in this race called life? What is holding you back from growing to be more like Jesus? Ask God to reveal it to you today.
- What "sin" seems to continually "entangle" you? A sin that you are afraid will happen again? Ask God to remove it from your life today.
- Ask God to keep your eyes fiocused on Jesus.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to Others?
- Do you have a friend who has something hindering their spritiual growth? Pray for them today and ask them if you can share how you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
- Do you have a friend who is fearful of sin from their past coming back to haunt them? Remind them to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus.
- Do you have friend who is running well? Send them a message today to encourage them to keep running well. Thank them for their example.
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
- March 2012 [21]
- February 2012 [19]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [20]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
