As you may know I am from an area right outside of New Orleans and work in the actual city.

Saturday morning at 1:30 Am my dad, aunt, and me evacuated to Ruston which is North West Louisiana. We are safe.

because of so many false alarms a lot of people chose to stay and ride out the storm including friends and family.

we are ok and I heard from a neighbor our street seems to be ok as of now. Transmission lines are down and/or in Mississippi River causing power outages that will currently be until further notice.

Various people in various cities are seeking rescue in their attics from flooding. There is a lot of devastation.

on the ride up I had a six hour praise and worship session. We never know how these hurricanes will play out, but what else can we pile on to a pandemic, mana darker vaccines, terrorism, née life changes? There are so many unknowns and it is easy to get overwhelmed, but for the first time i didn’t hit forward when Steven Curtis Chapman’s song ‘Dive’ came on shuffle on the ride. Instead, I hit replay several times with snotty tears jamming outloud.

“come on, let’s go!

I’m diving in, I’m going deep. in over my head I wanna be… caught in the rush, lost in the flow, in over my head I wanna go. The river’s deep, the river’s wide, the river’s water is alive. So, sink or swim I’m diving in.”

“me: “am I materialistic ? Am I a Christian? Am I willing to lose all my belongings? Where am I? God is this how you’re going to move me out of New Orleans? Am I growing fond of my possessions? Am I selfish? Why am I so stressed?”

Just a few of the things I have asked while I was avoiding packing up belongings. This storm didn’t give us much time so I packed up my professional clothes and some pictures in the event we were going to relocate. Priorities.

None of this was a surprise to God and that chorus describes a relationship with Him. I imagine each growth period as swinging through vines like Tarzan. You have to let go of what you’re holding and blindly trust and catch the next one. That’s how we move forward.

I have no time frame for when we will be able to go home, but it’s like a child hesitantly jumping off a diving board. My Father is saying jump and am I going to trust or not?

“I’m diving in. I’m going deep. In over my head I wanna be. Caught in the rush, lost in the flow, in over my head I wanna go. The river’s deep. The river’s wide. The river’s water is alive so sink or swim I’m diving in.”