We are... Survivors...

Here I am, sitting in a coffee shop in Bay St. Louis, MS, writing this blog post about Surviving.

 I can't think of a better place to write about surviving than the MS Gulf Coast. Some of you might remember a little storm (sarcasm intended here) named Katrina.

This picture is taken from the City Park in Pass Christian. On the opposite side of the park is a Hurricane Camille placard (looks similar). The names that you can't read are those who lost their lives to the storm in Pass Christian.

 One would think this is still a raw subject. And it is for many people. Because, we are rebuilding in the best way possible. And that means creating something new out of what remains. For example, Live Oak trees that didn't survive "The Storm" (as locals call Katrina) have been carved into beautiful sculptures by chainsaw artists.

 Now, when I was in California, I experienced a "new" concern for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. BP and its Oil Spill was seen as a disaster. I remember where I was when I learned that the explosion happened. I was at a youth retreat called Happening in Mississippi (I think specifically I was at the Staff Training, or maybe it was the actual weekend). Anyway, the most people were upset about at the time were the lives senselessly lost in the explosion (which, as it turns out, could have been avoided).

 But back to California. I would say that I'm from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and I would get this response, "how is your family managing with the Oil Spill?" Now, I understand the concern. I get that. But, considering my family is not directly involved with the seafood industry (which, by the way, took a rough hit, but is bouncing back) and also considering that the Gulf of Mexico will eventually heal itself (an oil spill like this apparently happened on a smaller scale in the 70s or so).

All this to say, I've taken some rough hits in my life. So have many of my friends in Mississippi, in South Africa, in Tennessee, in California, in Massachusetts.

We have all had rough hits in our lives, but...

 We. Are. Survivors.

 There is nothing more simply said than that.

Christianity is a life of surviving. Christianity is a (no matter how you put it), a way of life where you experience the ups and downs of a man who ultimately gave his life for everyone all in a year. Phew. Talk about a rough hit.

But there's always Christmas. There's always Easter.

 When Hurricane Katrina hit, I went to a retreat at Camp Bratton Green in Mississippi. It was an emergency retreat, for me and for the youth on the Coast who had found themselves scattered throughout the state.

 I'll leave you with this. The prayer from the group in Pass Christian written started with, "God, we're flippin' pissed" but ended with, "we're ready for the Resurrection"...

...Think on that...