Put The Work In
15And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. 16Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” (Mark 16:15-18)
Good afternoon family! I wanted to get on here and put a post together because it has almost been a week since I last sent out some content for y’all, and a lot has happened since then. I have one night left of my week straight working patrol operations for Savannah PD thanks to Hurricane Debby. Ever since joining the Georgia National Guard eleven years ago, part of the reason I chose the National Guard was that I wanted to be able to help people during natural disasters. I was sick of working in retail, watching these storms pass through, and not having an active role in disaster recovery. But for the last eleven years with the Guard, not once has my unit been activated for a natural disaster, which is my fault, for choosing a military job that is not part of the usual Soldiers called up to serve in times of disaster. And in my first four and a half years as a police officer, Savannah has only been in the path of a major storm one time before, and that was last year when Hurricane Idalia rolled right over the Hostess City as a Category 1. I, of course, had been activated for Active Duty, so I was sitting at home watching the wind and rain rip around our house. I missed out on the chance to serve the people of Savannah through that storm. Well, this year, I finally got the opportunity to help those in need and worked through Hurricane Debby, which, only by the grace of God, did minimal damage to the Savannah area.
The initial forecast for Debby was potentially catastrophic flooding of 20-30 inches of rain in Savannah. That was downgraded on Monday to 10-20 inches, and by the last measure, I think forecasters hit the number right on the head, for the minimum amount. A neighbor in my community recorded 8.44 inches of rain, so Savannah was most likely close to that 10-inch forecast. While Savannah was spared, my old hometown area of Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida suffered historic flooding with many homes receiving several feet of water in their home. I ask that you pray for all those affected by Hurricane Debby, especially for those that lost a loved one in the storm. While the count is low at this point (I could only find news that five perished in the storm), obviously, when it is your family member, one is one too many. So, we pray for God to wrap His arms around those who lost something they love, that they get the resources they need to get their lives back together and back on track. We mourn with those who mourn.
With that being written, I was going to write about the incredible track and field performances coming out of the Olympics, the excitement behind Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ Vice President pick, and share an article about how horrible trump is, but as we take time to pause and reflect over the loss caused by another natural disaster, let us also pause, pray, and mourn over the horrible conflicts still ongoing around the world. As one of the greatest human rights advocates puts in his most recent article, while the mass media has turned its focus away from the gruesome actions Israel continues to inflict on the Palestinian people, we cannot shift our gaze away from this genocide. Israel must be held accountable for their actions, and they will, whether in this life or the next. God will judge them for every innocent life murdered, every child slaughtered in this unprecedented attack on a populus. Oh, and then there is Russian’s illegal, and immoral, ongoing campaign in Ukraine that the world wants to desperately ignore. We cannot ignore these atrocities. As Christians we have to stand up against the brutality of this world and remind those around us that the violence is not the answer, only the grace, mercy, compassion, and love of Jesus Christ can save this broken world. Get out there and put the work in spreading that Good News, and Watch What God Can Do.
Common Sense Reborn 