Drought and Deluge

In West Texas, rain is a valued commodity.

• You know you're from West Texas if you don't associate bridges with water.

• A Texan was overheard saying, "It's been so dry that we got catfish in the creek three years old that haven't learned to swim yet."

A visitor once asked, "Does it ever rain in West Texas?"
A rancher quickly answered, "Yes, it does. Do you remember in the Bible where it rained for 40 days and 40 nights?"
The visitor replied, "Yes, I'm familiar with Noah's flood."
"Well," the rancher puffed up, "We got about two and a half inches of that."

So now, I live in a town right on the Mississippi River in the Heartland. And this year in particular, we've had absolutely no shortage of rain. In fact, I was reading in Genesis just to get those instructions for the ark pinned down.

This is LeClaire Park in nearby Davenport last summer:











This is LeClaire Park in Davenport this past Sunday — and the River hadn't crested yet. When the River did crest on Tuesday, the park was completely underwater. The railing was completely submerged. As of today, the water is receding, but rain upriver is on the way tomorrow.

Does your walk with God mirror the dry conditions of my childhood, or is the joy of fellowship with the Lord washing over the shores of your soul?