Hurricane Wilma is setting records this morning as it veers north into the storm-weary Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters are once again putting Southwest Florida right in the middle of the “cone of uncertainty.” Our church is about to shift into preparation mode, hopefully implementing plans born out of lessons learned from last year’s hurricane season. I will most likely not be blogging much this week.

Living in hurricane alley, experiencing a direct hit from category 4 Charley last year and sitting helplessly 1200 miles away as family and friends were displaced by Katrina and Rita have forced me to think frequently about disasters. Over the last 20 years I have preached several times on this theme. The most recent sermon was given on September 11 of this year. Here is the substance of that message.

Four years ago most of us were riveted to our televisions and radios watching and listening to the horror unfold in Washington DC and New York City as our nation was attacked by radical Islamic terrorists. The images of the twin towers falling and people running for their lives–and jumping to their deaths–are, for many of us, indelibly etched into our minds. (finish reading the article)