Archive for the ‘Climate’ Category

1 Jun

Scary times

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in Adversity, advice, Apostle Paul, Bible, Christian, Christianity, Climate, Culture, Disaster, Earthquake, Fear, Jesus, Oswald Chambers, peace, Prayer, Religion, simplicity, war. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. —Isaiah 41:13

Many people today fear a wide variety of things they see and hear around them. Fear is running rampant right here in America. Polls indicate that the majority of Americans now believe that their children’s lives will be harder than their own. They worry about unemployment and the economy. Many fear illegal immigration. Others are afraid to gather in public places for fear of violence. We see campus protests turn violent. School shootings don’t surprise us anymore.

On a cosmic scale we hear about giant solar flares that could destroy technology, pushing humankind back into the Stone Age. A large meteor or asteroid collision could destroy life on Earth.

In the natural world, we hear that a major eruption of a super volcano, like the one beneath Yellowstone National Park, could cause destruction and death on a planetary scale. Earthquakes and tsunamis in diverse places threaten millions of people. Climate change is blamed for killer storms, droughts, melting polar ice, coastal flooding, wildfires and more.

On the human plane, we read and hear about flesh eating bacteria, brain eating amoebas, and drug resistant bacteria and viruses. Abortion rights are a hot button topic that can trigger anger and rage. Some people hunker down in their homes, worried about riots, violence by and against the police, and other street violence. Others fear that computer hackers or scammers will steal their identities and wealth.  

There are wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and rumors of a global war that’s coming. Religious persecution is increasing around the globe. There is a growing wave of antisemitism right here in America. There are ample reasons for fear.

The Bible mentions two very different types of fear. The first is fear of the Lord. This fear is not associated with being scared. It is an awe and reverence of God and is to be encouraged. According to Psalm 111, fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and leads to rest and peace.

The second type of fear is detrimental. In the first chapter of 2 Timothy it is described as a “spirit of fear.” A person can be completely overcome by a spirit of fear, virtually frozen and unable to function. Such fear weighs a person down physically, emotionally and/or mentally.

Unfortunately, many Christians have succumbed to living with a spirit of fear. Some fear those of other religions and are reluctant to reach out to them in Christian love. Some fear those who are different from them culturally or racially. Others are hesitant to invite those in need into their lives for fear they might lose something or it might cost something. Some are afraid to leave the comfort of their homes and familiar surroundings in order to reach out to the needy. Others are hesitant to give of their wealth for fear they might later find themselves in need.

Many Christian fears boil down to a fear of losing something—possessions, comfort, safety, security. In Philippians chapter 3, verses 7-8, Paul describes how he has let go of the things of this world in order to focus on what is truly important:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

One can’t grasp Christ’s outstretched hand while clinging to things of this world. As David tells us in Psalm 34, verses 4-7:

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

You may be facing a health crisis, unemployment, divorce, a call to Christian service, or other difficult challenges. Don’t live in fear. Take the fears you struggle with today and give them to the Lord in prayer. Make this a habit. I will not tell you to “let go and let God” because it makes letting go of fear sound so simple. Instead, I encourage you to explore the Bible and learn what it says about fear. Read and believe!

Begin with Psalm 23. Then read Psalm 118. Other relevant Psalms include 27, 34, 46, 61, 91, 103, and 121. Once you have read these Psalms, locate a red letter edition New Testament and read every word spoken by Jesus. Then read Paul’s epistles. Become steeped in scripture. Do this and you will be well on the way to giving your fears to the Lord.

The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.   —Oswald Chambers

*All Bible quotes are ESV.

21 Sep

#SiouxFallsStrong: after the disaster

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in Adversity, Bible, Christian, Christianity, Climate, Disaster, simplicity, Tornado, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Tornado - SiouxFallsStrong

Tornado aftermath in Sioux Falls, SD (9/11/2019)

For most Americans 9/11 is an unforgettable date—the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center, and the Pentagon. The residents of Sioux Falls, SD, have a new date to remember—9/10. Just after 11pm on 9/10/2019 a tornado warning was issued by the National Weather Service. Shortly thereafter three tornados touched down in Sioux Falls. They caused extensive destruction of structures, power lines, and trees. Instead of waking up on 9/11 and remembering the terrorist attacks, Sioux Falls awoke to the aftermath of a natural disaster of epic proportions.

For my family it was a good lesson.  After our cell phones began beeping the weather warning, we were too slow taking shelter, choosing instead to gawk at the spectacular storm outside through a patio sliding door. We finally came to our senses when the air rushing around the frames of our very airtight Anderson windows started making a screeching noise and it felt like the glass of the patio door buckled.

Thanks be to God, we only lost a large section of a big birch tree, but were spared damage to our home, despite one of the tornadoes touching down about 200 yards away as the crow flies.  There were also non-tornadic straight-line winds comparable to a Category 2 hurricane recorded. According to meteorologist Jeff Haby (www.theweatherprediction.com), “Straight-line wind is wind that comes out of a thunderstorm. If these winds meet or exceed 58 miles per hours then the storm is classified as severe by the National Weather Service. These winds are produced by the downward momentum in the downdraft region of a thunderstorm.” 

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.  –Palm 27:5 (NIV).

The straight-line winds alone were bad enough to cause extensive damage. The tornados were like salt in Sioux Falls’ wounds. It was only by the grace of God that there was no loss of life.  Just a few blocks from our home several small children had to be dug out of the rubble after the roof and walls of their bedroom collapsed on top of them. Miraculously, they were unharmed. An employee of a heavily-damaged pancake restaurant rode out a tornado by hunkering down inside a walk-in freezer. There are dozens of similar survival stories.  

In our neighborhood alone, there were hundreds of trees and large tree limbs down, widespread roof damage, and numerous homes so severely damaged that many of them are likely to be condemned and demolished.  I saw several sturdy steel poles supporting basketball backboards that were bent at right angles by the ferocious winds.

A couple of miles to our east a hospital suffered extensive tornado damage.  Just a couple of miles to the northwest a section of a 41st street business district had an Advanced Auto Parts store totally destroyed, several other businesses severely damaged, and hundreds of structures suffered lesser damage.  

Disasters bring out the best and the worst in people. There was some scattered looting in the aftermath of the storm. A family in our neighborhood removed some valuables from the rubble of their home and locked them in their car—someone promptly broke into the car and helped themselves.  There were also stories of phony building contractors convincing several owners of damaged homes to pay advanced deposits for repairs, only to disappear with the money.

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him,  –Nahum 1:7 (NIV)

While there were some bad actors in the storm’s aftermath, the disaster response was mostly a reminder that despite the bad news we’re bombarded with by the media every day, there are still many kind and loving people in this world. Volunteers armed with pickup trucks, trailers, chainsaws and other essential tools seemed to show up from nowhere and jumped right into the cleanup fray—sympathetic strangers helping the less fortunate.  

While my son-in-law and I were cutting up the downed birch tree in the front yard a nice lady named Deb saw us working.  She stopped her car, got out and offered to help.  We accepted of course and Deb helped turn a four-hour job into two hours. Similar examples occurred across the Sioux Falls area.

By September 12, the response was more organized, with scores of volunteers being directed to individuals in need of help by the local 2-1-1 Helpline. Many Sioux Falls churches provided squads of volunteer to help with the cleanup.  My wife Linda and I participated in a group from own church, Church of the Resurrection Anglican church (www.resurrectionsf.com).

For our initial assignment we were given an incorrect address and ended up helping out at another home that wasn’t on the Helpline list, but definitely needed help. We worked there to clean up yard debris and help cut up a fallen maple tree.  We worked alongside several members of the University of Sioux Falls men’s track team.

Tornado Volunteers

Church of the Resurrection Volunteers

The Church of the Resurrection finished that first house and moved to the location where we were originally intended to help. We made short work of that yard and then helped clear the next door neighbor’s yard.  A local resident with a pickup truck and trailer stopped by and let us load all the tree debris in his trailer.  He hauled the debris to one of several wood chipping sites set up by the city of Sioux Falls. The city’s overall response was fantastic! 

While we were working on these yards a roving patrol from God’s army—the Salvation Army—stopped by and gave us free snacks and cold drinks.  The Gatorade I received was a welcome relief on a warm summer afternoon. I’d seen the Salvation Army at work before, back in 1992 as an Army officer with the 10th Mountain Division doing disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in south Florida.  I can’t say enough about the wonderful work they performed then and today.

In the aftermath of this natural disaster #SiouxFallsStrong was born. While this hashtag might seem trite to some readers, it means a lot to many Sioux Falls residents.  Just search for it on Twitter or Facebook to gain some insight to my community’s disaster response!  The true face of Sioux Falls—a thing of beauty—was clearly on display in the aftermath of the three tornados and storms of 9/10/2019. What a blessing it is to live in such a community!

Please lift up Sioux Falls in prayer.  While much has been accomplished in the almost two weeks since the tornados struck, much remains to be done.  The recovery efforts will continue for many weeks to come. Thanks be to God for those who continue to support this monumental effort.