ALWAYS CHASE AFTER THAT WHICH IS GOOD

The night Baton Rouge cried

(Deu 32:2) "Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb.

No words, no photos or videos can begin to describe what the power of rain and unleashed waters can do to what man has made. A call came for help and by the very grace of God, my heart was filled by the Holy Spirit to answer.

The Southern Baptist Convention's Florida Disaster Relief Chapter arrived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana August 23^rd, 2016, finding ground zero in a flood of epic proportions.

Many of the 400,000 precious souls directly impacted; 600,000 indirectly, had little to no warning of just how severe and wide spread the waters would be. It was as if everyone was taken by complete surprise. The scope of the damage, and personal carnage far surpasses that which took place in New Orleans in the after math of hurricane Katrina. Neighborhood after neighborhood, block after block, piles of wet, soggy, steamy, smelly material lines both sides of the streets. Some piles ten feet tall.

The smell, oh my, is terrible. Rotting food, household trash, dead animals, furniture, saturated pink insulation, carpet, moldy clothing, books and appliances. Virtually everything and anything you would find in any home, all piled by the road.

It is so easy to look at these piles of debris and discount that somewhere buried in that mass of nastiness, lies the physical memories and keepsakes from a family wedding, a death, a birth, a high school graduation, a deed to a home, a photo of a loved one. All this mish-mashed in a soggy stinky blob never to be seen again. For those who went from having these normal personal, and in many cases, treasured items and keepsakes, to being eye witness of their destruction is very much a grieving event. A death.

Black, white, Mexican, Vietnamese, labels that have no meaning anymore, as people open their hearts to each other. These are God's creation grieving, crying, wondering how, if ever, they will survive this catastrophe. The quiet but ever so powerful invasion of their lives now demands an even more powerful response of healing and compassion.

How do you help when you yourself are absolutely helpless? Through the power and strength of Jesus.

Over the last several days, I have prayed for and prayed with so many hurting and grieving people. Overwhelmed souls, begging to hear that God is present, that He is active, is moving, is healing, right before their very eyes. Not a single person has turned away from receiving prayer; hearing the healing words of Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit spoken and shared through his servants. Just the simple acknowledgment that prayers are indeed being answered brings peace, hope and comfort to so many hurting hearts.

When you READ YOUR BIBLE tonight, pray hard for the thousands in Baton Rouge who carry a tremendous burden as they begin again, start over, and grieve that which has been lost, but praise that which has been gained through the power of prayer. Pray also for the hundreds who have answered the call to share the love of Jesus with the broken hearted.