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Did the Hurricanes Wash Away the Hate?
In the midst and aftermath of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I saw a number of comments in social media marveling at how people came together and served each other regardless of race, religion, or any other “us/them” division. Immediately before the hurricanes, the subject of hate was hot and furious in the various media. Then suddenly people weren’t talking about it. Something much bigger and much more immediate consumed our attention. So that left an intriguing question: did the hurricanes wash away the hate? Alas, no. It didn’t take long before a third hurricane, Maria, decimated America’s own Puerto Rico, and the horrific humanitarian crisis became…
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Things Are Feeling a Little um…Apocalyptic Lately: Is this God’s judgment?
Like an opening fanfare we experienced a total eclipse of the sun. As a native Houstonian living in Columbia, South Carolina, we've been writing checks and sending Facebook touches to Harvey-flooded friends back home and lashed down our deck furniture in anticipation of Irma. What are the odds that two of the worst hurricanes in American history would hit back to back? And then there’s Maria coming right behind… Friends who were headed to Montana cancelled. Montana is choking on the smoke from fires that have burned over 1,000,000 acres this summer. The schools in Olympia, Washington, where my cousins live, have cancelled sporting events because of the smoke…
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Five Ways to Avoid Compassion Burnout
The world staggers under the weight of tragedies. Our earth sloshes through floods in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and areas of the United States. Hurricanes shred buildings in the Caribbean and the U.S. Fires continue to char parts of North America. Mexico is reeling from a massive earthquake. Man-made dangers loom as well: threats of nuclear strikes weigh on minds while the blood of Rohingya people flows in Myanmar. Worldwide, refugees number in the millions. I find it easy to feel numb after reading and hearing about all this suffering, all these needs. The scope of the suffering seems overwhelming. How do we maintain a tender, compassionate heart in the face…
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Sudden Change AND The Aftermath
Much has been written about Hurricane Harvey that made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas on Friday evening August 25. The devastation it caused and the suddenness in which it arrived with only a few days warning brought abrupt change. People in the predicted landfall areas were left anticipating, wondering if it would impact them, their home, their pets and their friends. Even the preparedness and investment of special hurricane windows and exact sized plywood to cover and protect all the openings in the house of our friend in Port Aransas did not abate the fierce wind that blew water right on past those carefully planned barriers. Water so basic to…
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Harvey and The Over-Spiritualization of Suffering
Hurricane Harvey pounded the gulf coast of Texas in an epic storm of biblical proportions. Five days since Harvey made landfall, over 13,000 people have required rescue, and over twenty have died. My entire immediate family lives in Houston. The six of them live in a subdivision in the city center, just minutes from areas that experienced catastrophic flooding. The school district has postponed the first day of school to September 5 (more than one week later than the scheduled start date). Based on the media coverage of Harvey, I feared my family would spend days stuck on the upper levels…
