Survival Narratives

I've heard a lot of very poignant stories this year of how people survived the hurricane and its aftermath. Tonight I heard one that may not be quite as chilling as those told by people who had to climb trees or pull their grandmothers onto rooftops when the floodwaters came in, but I doubt I'll forget it nonetheless.

In the days after the storm, when there were no city services and rumors of lootings and shootings were rampant, some brave souls ventured out in search of supplies for themselves and their neighbors. They went into a Baptist church where they took baths in the baptistery then hauled the water back to the neighborhood to flush toilets. By that time, no doubt those waters were truly blessed.

Hurricane season is fast approaching (only one month from today), and I'm sure no one around here will forget to fill bathtubs for flushing water if a storm starts heading our way. But this message is especially for pastors and church leaders. If you have any heart at all, you'll remember that the baptistery is also a valuable container for life-saving (or sanity-saving) liquids.