The Best Laid Plans...

Robert Burns famous quote, "The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry"
comes to mind this evening.

I have no idea how much the rest of the nation may know about the present
situation in Houston prior to hurricane Rita, but I'll tell you a little about
it anyway.

This evening in Houston, we have thousands upon thousands of people
stranded on the freeways trying to get out of the city in an attempt to
evade approaching hurricane Rita. Most of them have been in virtually the
same spot in traffic for 10-12 hours.

Due to traffic gridlock, those people have run out of gas. Further, there is
no gas available in Houston. The city is desperately trying to arrange for
gas to be brought to the stranded motorists. The unanticipated panic on the
part of everyone in the Houston area depleted the existing gas supplies. Even if
there was any gas available, the traffic gridlock is so bad the trucks can't
easily reach the stranded motorists. Right now, it's total chaos. In the worst case scenario, the vehicles will be abandoned on the clogged arteries and people will be taken to a "worse case scenario" evacuation center.

I got up at 2:30 a.m. this morning to try and get out of town. I made it 3 blocks and
turned back. I never dreamed I would see traffic stopped on the freeway at
2:30 a.m. True, I could have entered the freeway and sat there with everyone else, but I don't have that level of patience. I think I'd rather die in the storm. What a dose of fresh hell for these folks.

Some people have been sitting in their cars for over 16 hours now and have only
travelled a few miles. It's nearly 100 degrees here today. The people are
dehydrated and becoming ill. The storm arrives tomorrow. If a solution is
not reached soon, these folks will be in harm's way from the storm. One official termed it a death certificate.

Do I think anybody should be blamed? No. The officials
imposed this evacuation with the best of intentions for ensuring people's
safety. What they did not anticipate is that so many people would freak out
and try to leave the area. While the evacuation of areas threatened by the storm surge is
one thing, having the whole city try to bail out is quite another. After
all, Houston is the nation's 4th largest city.

So, here Houston is in this mess. Prayer is needed. If you have any of those types of thoughts sitting around, and can spare them, please forward them to Houston right away.

For once, the plea is not "Houston, we have a problem."
The plea has been reversed: "Y'all, Houston has a problem."

It is well with my soul...

In the days after Katrina, one of my favorite hymns has taken on an even stronger emotional component. If you know the song, but not the story, it's well worth a read. If you've never heard the powerful melody, it's worth listening to somewhere on the internet, and then reading the story. To think that this powerful song came from a man who had just lost everything, everything, is a beacon of encouragement for all of us. It always restores me when I hear it and think about the history behind it.

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Here's the true story:
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In the late 1800's, wealthy Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford, suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, "You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

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Here's the first verse of the song:
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When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.