Tag: Tornado

Death, Poetry, Suffering, Theology and Life, Writing

The Day Alabama Almost Died by Gary Furr Remembering April 27, 2011

Gary Furr

Video still suspended on the internet, weathermen almost screaming fear and warning, Maps lit up with horrible storms, bright, rotating monsters And the skycams filming it Dark rumbling cone of cloud, wider and firmer, roaring down, Swallowing places we all recognized, this street corner, that road, this hospital and the University itself Gobbled into darkness We sat watching helplessly in what passes for our safe place Terrified for people we know and can’t call or get to Just sat there, watching, listening, praying in a basement or a closet Now it lives on YouTube and in children’s nightmares Fear comes … Continue reading The Day Alabama Almost Died by Gary Furr Remembering April 27, 2011

Christianity, Ethics, Hope, humanity, Jesus, Love, Ministry, Pilgrimage, Suffering, Thanksgiving, Theology and Life

When Nothing Else Can Help, Love Builds a House

Gary Furr

One of the most-read blog pieces on here was one I did on the Hardy family of Williams, Alabama called, “Following Jesus from Israel to Rural Alabama.”  As a follow up to that, I am happy to report that last Sunday evening, the Hardy family received the keys to their new home in a dedication ceremony led by Pastor Mike Oliver. Times of crisis can certainly reveal our failings and weaknesses.  But it is also true that crisis reveals character and new possibilities.  one of God’s most mysterious works is bringing communion and healing from our disasters.  Such times can … Continue reading When Nothing Else Can Help, Love Builds a House

Art, Blues, Music, Suffering4 Comments

Irene, Goodnight…

Gary Furr

For a change, Alabamians were watching anxiously for everyone else’s safety as Irene ripped up the Eastern seaboard.  Alabamians are used to hunkering down in our safe places with flashlights and batteries, bottled water and a weather radio, waiting for the all clear.  So we waited this time, but the memories of April were still with us.  I have a daughter in New York, so I appreciated Mayor Bloomberg’s caution. There is a delicious sweetness in hunkering in the dark during a storm.  Routine stops, you call and gather everyone who matters most to you and let go of a … Continue reading Irene, Goodnight…