#hurricanehelene

Water is the foundation of life, but my relationship with it has changed so much since Hurricane Helene.

It’s Day 53 and Asheville still has no water.

Driving on the highway through downtown, I see semi-tractor trailers carrying potable water, enroute to sites all over Asheville.

There is water running through city pipes but it has too much chlorine, copper and lead in it to be safe. Once water was turned back on (on October 16th) to run from reservoirs through city pipes it wasn’t safe.

Tha…

There are many people who want to help, following a crisis.

Unaffected people descend on scenes of disasters to volunteer, flooding them with donations and willing hands. This is a phenomenon known as Disaster Convergence.

Our area has definitely experienced its fair share of Disaster Convergence. We’ve had hundreds of volunteers come to Gerton over the past month. Some simply dropped off very needed supplies, and then left, understanding they would just get in the way.

Some stayed and brough…

There is a name for how many people have responded, in the wake of Helene.

It is called Catastrophe Compassion.

Catastrophe Compassion is widespread and consistent across disasters. It follows war, terrorist attacks, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and in our case, an apocalypse.

It is how people respond in the wake of crisis.

For decades, social scientists have documented two primary narratives about human behavior during crises. The f…

My husband and I do not always see eye-to-eye when it comes to politics.

We often vote differently. We often disagree.

We have the same fundamental beliefs, but we each have different perspectives about what it will take in order for our nation to support those beliefs.

When we take the time to get into the nitty gritty of it, we are often surprised by how closely our values align. But on the surface, it can look like they don’t.

As a child, I was taught that Conservatives are bad, and Liber…

There’s a homeless dog that has been wandering around since the Hurricane.

He is reddish brown, 50 or 60 pounds, middle-aged, and may be a Black Mouth Cur. His ears are darker than the rest of him, and he is stocky in stature. The dog has moved impressive distances - probably no more than a 15 mile radius, but up and done multiple mountains, crossing creeks, and destroyed roads. Every day he’s in a new place.

People have been posting photos of him in various local Facebook groups. Jeff put out…

Earlier this year, our Community Center had a showing of an hour-long documentary about The Great Flood of 1916. Up until Helene, it was the flood by which all other floods were measured here in Western North Carolina. It, too, was considered a 1,000 year event.

The Great Flood of 1916 caused the most destruction and devastation to date in our part of North Carolina, close to $500 million in today’s currency.
The Flood was the result of two tropical storms converging here in the mountains. The …

It is no coincidence that Jeff and I lived in Gerton when Hurricane Helene landed.

We were meant to be here.

When I first moved to Asheville a dozen years ago, it was for two reasons. First, God told me to, during a three-day whirlwind visit with a friend about twenty years ago. Second, was to do a residency in a hospital about 45 minutes south of the city. A year of Clinical Pastoral Education was a requirement for completing seminary, and getting my Master’s of Divinity degree.

The route fr…

My mother sent me a notification of my brother Bryce’s memorial, which is being held next week near Washington, DC. A square image, with his name, birth and death dates; his picture; and the date, time, and location of his memorial. A calming blue font holds the information together in a sorrowful, yet appropriate way.

I notice immediately that his last name is misspelled. “Churchwood” instead of “Churchman.”

This is the third of her three sons that she’s organized a memorial for in the past t…

My personality is not apocalyptic.

I don’t “worst-case-scenario” my way through life. Nor am I a glass-half-full kind of person. In fact, I generally assume things will work out for me, even during times when that seems physically or logistically impossible.

For the most part, things always do work out for me. Especially when my ego and I get out of the way. Especially when my focus is on saying YES to how God is leading me.

This is not normal behavior in our world.

But neither is “prepping,…

Love is what is required to get through this.

Apocalyptic Love is not passive, neither is it always patient or kind. Sometimes it is a fierce warrior in battle. Or a loud voice, raging. It is a mother bird, protecting her nest.

This Love is giving voice to every person who has lost their home and is being denied coverage by their insurance companies.

This Love is a funeral procession for a person whose body is still missing.

This Love is questioning our President, who did not enact his Execu…