#nebraskastrong

#nebraskastrong If you live in Nebraska, near Nebraska, or have friends in the state of Nebraska I'm sure you've seen this hashtag used generously in the last 2 weeks. This hashtag quickly emerged from one of the most catastrophic spring floods the state of Nebraska has ever experienced. I don't know all of the scientific details, but they call it a "bomb cyclone." Half the state was experiencing historic blizzards while the other half of the state was experiencing historic flooding. If you live in a Nebraska community a phrase you've probably heard repeated over and over in the past 2 weeks is, "We've never seen anything like this before!" I'm simply speaking from my experience, from my daily view, from how I've been affected. Several neighboring states to us have also experienced catastrophic flooding and our hearts hurt deeply for them too.

Spring came in like a lion. It's been unexpected and devastating! We aren't out of the woods yet. A very wet spring and further snow melt headed our direction is projected. I'm sure you've seen the images on social media of entire towns swallowed up by flood waters. I'm sure you've heard the stories of them bringing teams out to do livestock carcass cleanup as the floodwaters subside. I'm sure you've heard about how ice chunks ripped through dams leaving them shelled out like they'd been bombed. The stories are endless and when I stop to read them and ponder them my heart is ripped in two. I know people who were personally affected by this natural set of events that led to disaster across our entire state. You can see all of that, read the statistics, hear the stories, on social media and google. But today I want to share just a snapshot with you of how I've personally seen Jesus show up in tragedy.

Thursday, March 14th 2019 - It seemed every creek and river in the state of Nebraska was swelling beyond it's capacity. Roads begun closing left and right. Something big was happening.

Wednesday, March 13th, we had a foot of snow on the ground. In once crazy day of 50 degree weather and rain it was gone. We were down to bare ground after being buried all winter. So the rivers swelled, the ice broke and cracked and pushed mightily against itself and everything in it's path. This begun the set of events that lasted well into the next week and the damage of which we will be dealing with for months and years to come. 

But as the rivers and creeks exploded all across the state of Nebraska. As thousands of pounds of ice chunks bulldozed through homes and dams creating damage we never fathomed possible, the people of Nebraska swung into action in an unbelievably strong fashion. C. S. Lewis once said, "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." I have seen the resilience of the human soul and spirit demonstrated in the most genuine way I've ever experienced in Nebraska in the last two weeks!

Let me clearly state that I never ever would have wished to happen to our state what has happened through the flooding and blizzards that we have experienced this spring. The number of people affected, the livestock and cropland lost, is staggering. But I have learned that Jesus shows up on the scene of heartbreak and tragedy in ways that we sometimes don't see Him in the workings of every day life. Scripture supports this theory. As we follow the story of many Bible Characters we recognize that Jesus loves to come through when things look hopeless, when life is turned upside down, when circumstances are incredibly bleak. Daniel in the lion's den, Paul & Silas in prison, Jairus' daughter who had already died when Jesus arrived on the scene, Paul shipwrecked and yet him and all the crew were miraculously saved. Time and time again we see Jesus show up when things have gotten really bad. When hope is lost. When humanly we can't fix it and only He can!

This is what I have witnessed first hand in Nebraska this spring. The church I attend, Riverview Community Church in Ashland immediately swung into action in response to the flooding. Opening their doors wide they begun to accept donations to be extended to those in affected areas. The community and state of Nebraska's response was overwhelming! Donations poured in seemingly non-stop. Not only were we receiving donations from our community locally, but trucks were driving in from other areas of Nebraska and even other states.

Wednesday morning the 20th, almost a week since the beginning of the flooding, I went over to the church to hold the donation center open for a couple hours before I headed off to work. Since it was the early morning hours it was very quiet. I walked silently through the donations accessing them and taking in the enormity of what had been given. I paused in front of our Imagine Banner covering the wall behind one of the tables filled with food donations. Our Imagine Banner has little ideas that different members of the congregation have written on it of what they imagine God can do through us, His people. Immediately tears sprang to the surface at the corners of my eyes. Although this terrible tragedy was something we never would have imagined or wished upon Nebraska many of the notes scrawled on the Imagine Banner were being lived out on a daily basis through the events of this spring. Notes about caring for our community, about being the hands and feet, the love of Jesus to our community.

I continued to walk through the donations and stopped at a section where we were assembling 5 gallon buckets full of cleaning supplies to be sent to those who's homes had been damaged. The bucket supply was running low. I pulled out my phone and sent our pastor's wife Ashley a quick text message regarding the limited amount of buckets we currently had. Her reply was simple and faith filled, "We will pray those come in over the next few days. Every time we ask, He gives." With buckets on my heart that morning I lifted up a simple prayer, "Lord, we need buckets. Please provide buckets." 

Friday afternoon I received this picture and text message from Ashley, "Your prayers are being answered! Buckets at a time!" Some generous donor decided to donate 720 buckets to Riverview's donation center. 720 Buckets!! It felt so unbelievable and yet believable and so something that only God could carry out! Every time I see this stack of buckets I'm reminded that God sees and hears. Not only does He see and hear, He shows up and He answers!

I could go on and on sharing with you stories of lives touched, of even the smallest of prayers being answered. Of the simplest of needs being met. Of tears shed, of hugs given, of hours volunteered as neighbors help each other in recovering from this terrible flood. It has taught me an incredible lesson about the strength of community, the strength of this state, and the strength of God's love in the midst of suffering.

God doesn't need us to get accomplished what He has planned. He allows us to be a part because He loves us and He wants to work together with us on bringing His love to this broken hurting world. It is our loss if we choose to skip out on being a part of how God is working and moving. This world is overlaid with pain and loss, but Jesus is alive and well. We are welcomed into a relationship with Him where we are invited to be the vehicle that brings His love and grace to the world! Who doesn't want to be a part of that?! Watching Him work, watching Him do His thing, watching Him come through. . . there is nothing like it!

I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. Don't you realize that in a a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.  

1 Corinthians 9:23-27