Hurricane Katrina

[Ark~Magic]

Is everyone OK? I know we have some folks here from Florida and other parts which have been affected majorly like New Orleans has. It's going to get worse. The city is going to go under even moreso now that some of the Levy's have broke and some water and pump systems will fail.

Just pray guys that the surviving people will be rescued. One story that I was saddened by was a man who was crying on TV, had his son nearby, and he couldn't save his wife, she said "Take care of the kids and grandchildren", very dramatic, and tragic, and so pray for folks like him and others that if their family members are still alive that they would be rescued.

This is scary stuff.

[August]

Hi everyone,

I know that we have our differences here, and we debate, agree and in general do the things a community do.

Tonight I want to echo what ArkM said, and ask you that we all come together in prayer for those affected by the hurricane. The devastation is incredible, and the human tragedy is overwhelming. We know that nothing happens but by the will of our Father, thus I ask you to approach His throne in thankfulness for your life, and submit to Him the lives of those touched by this tragic event.

I also want to urge you to donate money or food. Walmart is collecting donations, or just give some money to the Salvation Army or Red Cross. This is the time to do the right thing.

Thank you.[/img]

[Believer]

CBN.com The Christian Broadcasting Network



SOLICE
Bible Truths for Tragic Times
By Laura J. Bagby
CBN.com

CBN.com —

5 "The waves of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me. 6 The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. 7 But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I called to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears (2 Samuel 22:5-7, NLT).

The above Scripture passage, a heartfelt cry of King David written thousands of years ago, is also very telling of the experiences of many of those recently rescued or soon to be rescued from the jaws of Hurricane Katrina's wrath.

God does hear the cries of those who suffer in the aftermath of this devastating Gulf storm. The Lord God is close to the brokenhearted, to those crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He is our refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 59:16).

And He is answering the cry for help in part through the humanitarian efforts of such organizations as Operation Blessing, The Salvation Army, and the Red Cross, just to name a few, as well as through government funds and military rescue efforts.

In the meantime, as the rest of us stay glued to the television set, transfixed at the images of horror that have transpired these last couple of days and waiting to hear from loved ones, we must not allow our hearts to faint to the point that we lose hope and begin to question the goodness of God. We can become overwhelmed when we dwell on tragedy, which is exactly why the Bible tells us to set our minds on things above and not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

When our hearts are troubled, we must seek the Lord. When we give our anxious hearts to God instead of remaining paralyzed by our fearful thoughts, we gain His peace. The Bible tells us plainly in Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (NIV).

John 14:27 also notes the exchange of fear for peace. Jesus states:

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (NKJV).

These are the times to remember just who our God truly is, a God who is there and a God who cares. So let us pause to consider our Great King. Let's look on heavenly things for a moment to calm our nerves.


WHO IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY?


Our Comforter

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NASB).

Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places And her wilderness He will make like Eden,And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her,Thanksgiving and sound of a melody (Isaiah 51:3, NASB).

Our Deliverer

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction (Job 36:15, NIV).
He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my deliverer (Psalm 144:2a, NLT).

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17, NIV).

Our Overcomer

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NLT).

"Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4, NASB).

Our Guide

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).

Our Upholder

"Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you" (Isaiah 41:10, The Message).

Our Protector

" Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared" (Proverbs 3:25-26, NIV).

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7, NIV).

Always with us

He says he will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5).

The Unchanging One

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8, NLT).

The Compassionate One

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15, NIV).

Isn't it good to know how great our God is! He is our Defender, Deliverer, and Mighty God. Let us choose to trust in His goodness in these troubled times.

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever (Psalm 29:10, NIV).

SOURCE: Click HERE

[Believer]

Out of a random hurricane came man... and, consequently, Katrina.

What can atheists say about natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, avalanches, etc.? Well, nothing, really. As C. S. Lewis once said:

If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents - the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's. But if their thoughts - i.e., of materialism and astronomy - are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.

SOURCE: Click HERE

[BGoodForGoodSake]

Out of a random hurricane came man... and, consequently, Katrina.

What can atheists say about natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, avalanches, etc.? Well, nothing, really. As C. S. Lewis once said:

If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents - the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's. But if their thoughts - i.e., of materialism and astronomy - are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.

SOURCE: Click HERE

This is not a topic to bring up hate and contempt. Be they athiest Buddhist Muslim or Christian, we all share a sence of human dignity and love. I wish I could be down there and help those poor people in New Orleans. We are all the same, show some compassion. If we all work together we can help those in need.

[Kurieuo]

I thought it would be interesting to see what people think about Hurricane Katrina, post your story here. For me, I pray that everyone is alright, I wish I was down there to help and I hope looting doesn't happen. It is also a shame that gas prices here have really shot up. My sister in Atlanta, GA has said that they raised gas prices up $5 in one day! Here in the Portland metro area, gas has gone up to about 20 cents from 3 days ago.

[BGoodForGoodSake]

Out of a random hurricane came man... and, consequently, Katrina.

What can atheists say about natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, avalanches, etc.? Well, nothing, really. As C. S. Lewis once said:

If the solar system was brought about by an accidental collision, then the appearance of organic life on this planet was also an accident, and the whole evolution of man was an accident too. If so, then all our present thoughts are mere accidents - the accidental by-product of the movement of atoms. And this holds for the thoughts of the materialists and astronomers as well as for anyone else's. But if their thoughts - i.e., of materialism and astronomy - are merely accidental by-products, why should we believe them to be true? I see no reason for believing that one accident should be able to give me a correct account of all the other accidents. It's like expecting that the accidental shape taken by the splash when you upset a milk jug should give you a correct account of how the jug was made and why it was upset.

SOURCE: Click HERE

This is not a topic to bring up hate and contempt. Be they athiest Buddhist Muslim or Christian, we all share a sence of human dignity and love. I wish I could be down there and help those poor people in New Orleans. We are all the same, show some compassion. If we all work together we can help those in need.

I am sorry Thinker I apologise for my remarks, I am just so upset with what is happening, please forgive me.

[kateliz]

I haven't been watching the news, and so only knew anything about New Orleans until last night when someone commented on it to me, (I don't see many people each day! ) I watched pieces on it this morning on three different channels, one right after the other. I was utterly shocked and devastated. Kind of like when I flipped by a clip of the Challenger blowing up in midair and assuming it was live footage. (I experienced that one first-hand in that odd way.)

I then went to brush my teeth and had to stop several times to cry and plead with God as one covered in Christ to protect and help those in need. I couldn't get over the thought that they just want to have a home back and to sit in rush-hour again and take out the trash. They want a fridge to open, a bathroom to use and a lock to feel safe behind. Basic, simple things in life, and yet they feel so hopeless and I'm sure like no one cares. It really hit me. I wanted, if I had my own place, to take in a family and help them get back on their feet. Today I donated what for me is a decent chunk of money to the Red Cross.

Then I realized that I had been wanting something like that to happen to New Orleans. I'm just being honest here. I'm extremely disgusted by Mardi Gras, (and everyone talks about it like it's a birthday party or something innocent like that,) and deeply concerned about the superstition that permeated from that city. How many TV shows on haunted hotels in New Orleans do they have anyway? It's all demons trying to fool us, and New Orleans was a feast for them. I also have an old friend of mine that I recently heard "came out of the closet" after going down there for college where everything was acceptable, (yes, he was a Christian.) For at least a year I've had that thought. (Only heard about that old friend at most two weeks ago, if you're wondering.)

Now, even though I have compassion for the people in need down there, I feel as if, yes, it must have been a Sodom and Gomorrah kind of thing. I was reminded this morning that God will take care of His people down there, and that reminder just confirmed moreso to me that it indeed could've been a punishment becuase God had had enough. I expect something similar, (though from an earthquake, of course,) to happen to San Fransico.

I don't want anyone here to think of me as cruel-hearted, but hey, it's not a secular world, it's God's world, and He's the one that makes the rules, and punishment for grave evil is one of them. And yes, I know that verse on God not being in the wind, the earthquake and all that, but being in the still small voice afterwards, but that doesn't change the fact that God still does things like punish Sodom and Gomorrah. For all I know, 9/11 could very well have been a warning to America. Why not? It's not like we didn't deserve a warning to change our ways! (Though not saying we deserved such a tragedy, you know.) I think as Christians we need to consider God's sovereign role in this.

I asked God this morning what He wanted me to do to help, and my nephew provided me with the opportunity this afternoon- donating to the Red Cross through his school. And God made it relatively obvious I was to help in that way because my nephew pressed me like it was the life and death matter it was, and I absolutely couldn't not give with that pressure from a seven year-old! I hope that we all as Christians ask God what He would have us do to help. He knows where He wants our efforts and prosperity. It's all His money afterall!

But please, still, don't get offended at my comments. I'm horrified for the people having to face all that they are facing.

[Ark~Magic]

I disagree about the Gomorrah thing, have for a while. I think their sins will punish themselves. And so they did with this hurricane. Mankind builds cities in places where hurricanes and such occur quite frequently such as New Orleans and they blame God for their own stupidity. This isn't the first time damage has been done by a hurricane in that area, but people will be foolish enough to let it happen again by rebuilding over there.

[Judah]

Kate ~
I was particularly struck by this photo today of a massive fire at a chemical plant in New Orleans. I am not going as far to call New Orleans by a new old name from Genesis, but it is (was - still is - has been) a pretty spicy raunchy mix of allsorts with a very chequered history. That is not to say that nothing good comes from there, but it is certainly famous for far more than Louis Armstrong, jazz and the blues.

Note in particular the telegraph/power pole near the centre of the photo. Quite some imagery, don't you think?

[Judah]

I would like to add my own disclaimer:

I do not read into events like tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and whatever else any particular judgement from God. I do not know enough about such things to know.

It was the image of the cross formed by the sillouette of that power pole against the all-consuming flames that struck me. However, I am not placing any interpretation on it.

[Judah]

The news coming at us is just horrendous. It is like the most terrible nightmare from which one cannot wait to wake up and hope to find it wasn't real... except, unbelievably, it really is real.

The USA has been a very generous contributor to others in need, and I know that help is being mustered in other countries for the victims of Katrina. Here in NZ the usual helping agencies are holding special appeals and street and door collections for funds to contribute. I hope that the fact that others beyond the USA are concerned and want to help is of some consolation for those who are affected by this massive disaster.

[Believer]

Note in particular the telegraph/power pole near the centre of the photo. Quite some imagery, don't you think?

It was the image of the cross formed by the sillouette of that power pole against the all-consuming flames that struck me. However, I am not placing any interpretation on it.

I didn't see a cross? Maybe you could run it through an image program and outline it?

[August]

Judah, you are right, it's an enormous tragedy. Everyone is just so thankful for all the help coming from everywhere. In the midst of this sorrow and tragedy, the best side (and unfortunately the worst side, thankfully a small minority) of humanity shines through.

Keep on praying, these people need it.

Not everyone realizes the extent of this tragedy. Today we had 5 new children enroll at my childrens school, refugees from the hurricane. They have nothing, no clothes, no books, nothing. Because of the generosity of good people, they are able to start school on Tuesday. There are so many touching stories, it breaks my heart.

[Judah]

OK, here it is, Thinker.