Texas trudged through a month of devastating storms, tornadoes, and flash floods that left a littered trail of deaths, broken families, costly property damage, and life/death rescues—but it could-a-been worse. One more storm would’ve pushed the rivers and lakes to dump more destruction and rainfall amounts to further crush past records. Thank God, we were spared—this time. Today the sun is shining and the weatherman promises no rain, but storm damages remain. And lives have been changed. Forever. Flash floods roar, if you’ve never heard or seen one. Storms miles away send walls of water gushing and crashing between the banks, gathering power like locomotives racing downstream, dumping on unsuspecting victims. You may have seconds or minutes to react—like the folks in Wimberly, Texas, along the banks of the Blanco River. Two families swept away inside their house before they knew what happened. One father survived. Violent wind and rain struck Crandall, Texas, around 7 a.m. Saturday morning, bending trees double, and dumping more rain. And between six to eight inches of rain fell Thursday night and causing the release of water from surrounding lakes. Again lifting water levels along the Trinity and Brazos Rivers—that ten foot high and risin’ water. Only along the Trinity it was twenty feet and rising.In either event, there’s no stopping flood water. The only options—help or ignore.Dangerous rescues, sometimes by helicopters or boats, to snatch victims from the horror of drowning. Volunteers from other states rushed to help; cramming pets, meager belongings, and people, into the back of anything with wheels to get ’em outta Dodge ’til the water recedes and clean-up begins. All three Texas rivers flooded—The Trinity, The Brazos, and the Colorado. Unfortunately Houston, Texas, and points south of there are the final destination and destruction for this over-abundance of free water. I sat beside the rising waters of the Trinity Sunday afternoon and thought about the dark floods swirling through our government, our courts, our schools, and our homes. And I wondered— How high are the nasty flood-waters of drugs, alcohol, anger, sexual and physical abuse, teen pregnancy, lack of respect of authority that daily shove their way through your child’s classroom, mamas? How fast do the flashes of lies rush down the halls of every school. Every day. Determined to destroy your child. Can you hear their evil roar? Unlike a flash flood, this now rising flow first seeped among us like the drip, drip, drip of a leaking faucet. Unnoticed until erosion had etched hairline cracks in the foundational principles of our nation. In the ‘60’s what began as one lady’s breach over the spillway of liberty succeeded in removing prayer from public school. She silenced the voices of multiplied millions of America’s school children who acknowledged the Lord God Almighty as Father and asked their Father to provide for them each day. And we, the church family, sat silent.
Then other, more powerful creeks and rivers, aimed at destruction, joined the growing leaks, carving ditches and gulleys—breeding places for snakes and vermin to hide and strike at will. The flash flood of situation ethics raced through our schools with a vengeance in the ‘70’s, ‘80’s, and ‘90’s. And many teachers and children were dragged in the undertow and drowned in this twisted deception of right and wrong. Teaching “if it feels good, do it. Do whatever you want, if you have a good reason for what you’re doing.” Birthing a generation who believe there are no moral absolutes. The situation you are momentarily in determines your choice of ethics—and we see in HD every night how that’s working. And now those deceived children are the teachers of the next generations.
Add the double whammy in 1973 of an F8 tornado—Roe v. Wade—a woman’s right to kill her unborn child became the law of the land. And we, the church family, clamped our hands over our ears—‘til the screams of dead babies roared—leaving a pathway strewn with abortive moms who realized too late that tissue was indeed a baby. Moms left with guilt beyond our ability to conceive. And with the stroke of a pen the majority of Supreme Court Justices brought God’s gavel of righteous judgment down on this nation when they sentenced over fifty-four million American children to die.
Eight years ago a painting entitled “The Gathering Storm” depicted the approach of the storm we are experiencing today. And over 51 percent of the nation’s voters ignored the artist’s warnings. But today that storm is reality, yet many refuse to believe or heed the coming apocalypse. While the levy crumbles, we send our grown children to defend this nation. And our tax dollars pay their salaries. Yet these young men and women and their chaplains are dishonorably discharged unless they deny or keep silent about their faith in Jesus Christ. And our dollars pay the salaries of those who punish our children and their spiritual leaders and reject our God. While the snake infested flood-tide-of-lies continues to rise each day. Straight-line winds over the decision regarding the redefinition of marriage is due to sweep from shore to shore in America in June of 2015. And once again, nine justices will either seal the fate of America or give Americans one more opportunity to search for and believe God’s truth. Unlike those volunteers who helped victims fleeing the Brazos and Trinity to safety, where are volunteers, teachers, and parents willing to yank America’s young people out of the raging floods of evil? Have they chosen to ignore the tsunami of lies about to destroy this nation, or are they afraid to speak truth? “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9 NKJV) In light of the times and the Word of God, what did Jesus tell His Church? • Be salt and light rescuers. • Identifying evil, lies, and false gods. • Filled with and sharing the hope and the love of God with those who will hear and believe. • Be courageous men, women, boys and girls who speak God’s truth of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ, regardless of the consequences. • Ready, willing, and positioned to snatch any who will hear and believe into the safety of the ark of Jesus Christ. • Love our brothers and sisters in Christ so the world will see our relationship with Jesus and with each other and know He is Lord. “…all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9 NKJV). It’s not about being Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of God, Catholic, Methodist, Church of Christ, Episcopalian—it’s about loving the Lord your God with all your heart and mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself—‘til Jesus comes. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Hopin’ and prayin’ that all my Texas friends are recovering and moving forward. Warren Johnson cell 845-532-2004 (does not often work at home) 607-326-6285 haversackhistory@yahoo.com
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Wow. Too true. Sharing this. Thanks…
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Katharine, thank you so much for reading and responding. And especially reblogging this post. I appreciate all you homeschoolers. You all may be the reason God has spared America up ’til this time.
Abundant blessings on all you do.
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Reblogged this on The Conquering Mom.com and commented:
“Then other, more powerful creeks and rivers, aimed at destruction, joined the growing leaks, carving ditches and gulleys—breeding places for snakes and vermin to hide and strike at will.”
Y’all gotta read this one, is all I can say.
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Been praying for you all in Texas and for our country. Great post.
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Thanks Holly. We’ve had sun all week and warmer temps. The water is returning to its banks and the humidity isn’t as bad in Dallas these days. But some folks’ lives are forever changed. Pray for them.
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Thought of you through the storms, DiAne – we were feeling some of your pain here in the OKC metro area! Great reminder of the opportunities such storms actually present!
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I wondered how you were doing. Never seen the Red River so enormous. We are finally drying out. Blessings.
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