Transition and Floods

A little news and the letter I wrote to our church about Texas floods

Hey all,

Been a bit since I have written on here. I wanted to lead with some news - our family is moving! We have been in Nashville for nearly 9 years and they have been some of the best in my life. Yet the Lord has stirred our hearts and called us back to Texas. So in August we are moving to Abilene, Tx where I will be pastor of FBC Abilene. It is an historic church and I cannot wait to partner with God and the church for what the future holds. At the same time we are sad to leave Crievewood Baptist and Nashville life. My therapist wife likes to say that two things can be true at the same time and in this case it is true! We are excited and confident about the future while grieving and grateful for our time in Nashville.

Some of my Nashville friends have asked if where we are moving is close to where the flooding in Texas was last week. It is not really that close, but it effected personally some of our friends in Abilene. So I wrote this letter below to Crievewood and shared it with FBC Abilene as well. I thought you all would find it helpful.

Dear CBC Family,

I hope you had a good and celebratory 4^th of July. My family and I visited my in-laws like we do each year. Someone in their neighborhood owns a firework stand so we sit pool side and enjoy a show!

This year’s fourth was overshadowed by the tragedy in Texas. When tragedies like this happen, people immediately start to question who is to blame? Is it the federal government and the cuts that have happened this year? Is it the state and its outdated warning system? Is it cell phone coverage? Is it the camp having cabins too close to the river? Is it climate change?

As I have reflected on the blame game, I often think that it is displaced anger over the grief of such a tragic situation. Are there times for questions to learn how to deal better with floods or other natural disasters? Absolutely. Should we have the best technology in place to save as many lives as possible? Again absolutely. However, one of the myths that humans continually by into, particularly Americans, is that we can out-tech the hardships of life. Paul reminds us in Romans that “creation waits with groaning expectations.”

So, what do we do with our anger and grief? Where do we need to point it? Once again turning to the Bible, we point it to the Lord. Walter Bruggemann once wrote that it takes a great deal of faith to trust God with the deepest, and sometimes worst, parts of us. Yet that’s what the psalmists do over and over again in the Psalms of Lament. In fact, 40% of the Psalms are those crying out to God with hurts, misplaced desires, and grief.

What we discover is that God is big enough to take our grief and loving enough to grant us the peace that passes all human understanding, when we trust God with those parts of us. Trusting does not mean never doubting or questioning. Truly trusting in God is bringing those doubts, griefs, and questions before the Lord and letting them go in His presence.

So much of human life is learning the art of loss. Someitmes, it comes in great waves like the floods in Texas, others more slowly. No matter how the loss comes about, we have a Good Shepherd who draws nearer when darkness comes.

Grace and peace,

Ray P. Miller, DMin

Pastor, CBC Nashville