Slidell, LA

For the past few days we've been on the bayou country helping folks recover from hurricane Katrina. Yep, 18 months later and people are still digging out. We were clearing trees, hanging drywall, painting and doing any number of odds and ends.

The scene was somewhat surreal. On some streets things were as if there had never been a disaster. The next street over looked as it if it were the day after the storm. We met one family of eight still living in their FEMA trailer. Wow! Can you imagine how crowded that must be!?

We haven't seen Katrina or its aftermath in the news lately. The entertainment industry news media have moved on to other things. It's all about the advertising after all and we're a fickle society. Our informants -- CNN, Fox News, whomever -- swing our attention too and fro never letting us dwell too long on any one event. On a slow news day somebody may glance back over their shoulder and comment: "Yep, still there..."

Have you had a Katrina in your life? A disaster of unpredictable magnitude that's left a swath of destruction in its wake? Have you moved on to other things? Turned away from the pain and suffering that still exists and distracted yourself with other things? It's still there you know. You can't really move on until you've rebuilt. With each day the disaster-torn foundations continue to rot and crumble beneath us while we pretend they don't.

We're human and the human condition pretty much stinks most of the time. How we deal with the stink is a measure of our character. Christ is our strength. He builds our character. Through him we can stare down our Katrinas and declare boldly that we will never give up and never give in.

I met some amazing people these last few days. Not a single one of them gave in or gave up. They persevered, rebuilt and carried on. Each one of them taught me something about being a Christian. Each one of them displayed to me the strength of Christ. Each one of them still praises God the Father and thanks Him daily for their blessings.

How will you meet your Katrina? I will meet mine with Christ by my side in bold defiance of the hurricane's destructive force.