Practice makes perfect

My latest column in the United Methodist Reporter was inspired by some reflecting I was doing on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I'm not sure what caused it, except that this seems like the most threatening hurricane season since the terrible one in 2005. For the first few days after Katrina overwhelmed New Orleans, I remember feeling this sense of disbelief that was similar to what I felt (in a more intense way) when the World Trade Center was attacked on 9/11. Then in the days following the storm as the situation got worse, I remember feeling panicked and helpless, like I should be doing something.

I was pastoring a church in Searcy, Arkansas, at the time, and our church (as well as the United Methodist Church of Arkansas) did end up doing a lot. We raised thousands and thousands of dollars for relief supplies. And as soon as it was possible individuals and small groups of people started traveling from Searcy down to affected areas in Louisiana and Mississippi to pitch in. When several dozen refugees were settled in a camp right outside of Searcy, our congregation cooked meals, bought phone cards, and donated clothing to them as an act of love and hospitality. As all these things started happening, I remember my feelings of helplessness turning to thankfulness, as I saw how the Holy Spirit was at work amongst my flock.

I finally got the chance to go down to the Gulf coast in October, about 5 or 6 weeks after the storm. I was leading a group of students from Hendrix College, and we stayed about 5 days in Pascagoula, Mississippi. That's the story I tell in my column. It was humbling to see how the great majority of the good that was being done was being done by Christians from all over the United States. The two most common vehicles on the road that week were pickup trucks and church vans, and quite a few of those vans had the cross-and-flame logo of the UMC. It was a tough, tough situation. But the people told us over and over again that they didn't know what they would have done without the churches.

One reason that committed discipleship is so important is because it is a form of training. The little things we do each day - prayer, Scripture reading, helping our neighbor, tithing - are forms of preparation. Ultimately, they prepare us for full citizenship in the kingdom of God. But between now and then, they prepare us to know how to act when the Hurricane Katrinas come.