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By Pete Wilson | Cross Point Church
NASHVILLE FLOOD: Boating through the streets of Bellevue from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.
On Sunday, May 2, 2010, Nashville was hit by the biggest flood in our state's history. We received more rain on that single day than we’ve ever received in the entire month of May in recorded weather history.
It wasn't long until our rivers and streams were leaving their banks and cutting a destructive path through out the entire city. By Sunday evening I started to see images on the television that took my breath away. It was clear hundreds of businesses and thousands of homes would be severely damaged if not destroyed.
The words of the local weatherman, "Folks prepare for what is now the 1,000 year flood," are locked into my memory for a lifetime. As I sat there paralyzed by his words and the images I watched, I felt God whisper to me, "Pete, this is a one in a thousand year opportunity for Cross Point Church and the body of Christ in Nashville to step up and make a difference."
I instantly got on the phone with our executive director, Jenni Catron, and started to plan our response to the biggest crisis our city has had or will probably ever experience in the life of our church. Over the next week more than 1,600 volunteers from Cross Point would ascend on our city in the name of Christ bringing hope, help, grace and love. We would tear out drywall, insulation, carpet and other flooring in an attempt to give homeowners a jump start on flood relief. We would hand out thousands of bottles of water, cases and cases of cleaning supplies, and an endless supply of hugs for hurting people. Random acts of kindness would flow quite naturally over the days to come.
Crisis & Transformation
I've always believed there is a direct correlation between crisis and transformation. These two things seem to go hand and hand. I quickly began to see that we not only had an opportunity to serve our community like never before, but we also had an opportunity to model for them how we should respond to shattered dreams.
You know, if you simply looked at the circumstances in Nashville during this crisis I can see how many would come to the conclusion that God had abandoned us. I sat on pins and needles just waiting for the first televangelist who would claim this was God's judgment on our city.
Yet, part of our relief efforts were to help our city begin to understand that God is most powerfully present even when He seems most apparently absent.
In crisis the greatest illusion of all, the illusion of control, begins to unravel. This is a painful process because so often we actually begin to think we can control outcomes in our lives. In crisis we stop trying to control and manipulate what we can’t control and manipulate. We come face to face with the fact that there is a God... and it's not us.
The Nashville flood gave us the perfect opportunity to communicate to our city that while life is uncertain, God is not. While our power is limited, God is limitless. While our hope is fragile, God is hope Himself.
Plan B
Our churches and cities are full of people facing Plan B's.
No one ever dreamed they would have cancer at 35.
No one ever dreamed they would get fired at 51.
No one ever dreamed they would be divorced twice at 42.
No one ever dreamed they would end up alone and depressed at 24.
Everyone needs healing.
Jesus himself reminded us in John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Jesus is telling us trouble is coming.
Pain is coming.
Heartbreak is coming.
Bankruptcy is coming.
Disease is coming.
Floods are coming.
It's almost as if Jesus is saying, "Here's the 7 day forecast for your life. It's trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble." But then He says, "But take heart." In other words, don't give up on hope. Don't give into despair because no matter what you face in this world, I have over come it.
In the middle of Nashville's Plan B our church had the opportunity to model for our city that we choose to believe God is bigger than this tragedy. We choose to believe that one day faith will win over doubt, light will win over darkness, and all things will one day be redeemed.
The reality is we don't get to choose if and when we have shattered dreams. But we do get to choose how we respond to them. And in that choice lies an amazing amount of hope.
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So thankful for your leadership through our city’s “Plan B”! You displayed the heart of a true and remarkable leader!
Comment by Jenni Catron - May 17, 2010 @ 11:21 AM
Love your message and its testimony to God through you and your church to those around you in need.
Comment by luke - May 18, 2010 @ 09:11 AM
“It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, ‘Here’s the 7 day forecast for your life. It’s trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble-trouble.’ ” I love that! And, how right you are, Pete, no matter what He can over come anything and everything!
Great word! Thanks for leading us through such immense sadness and crisis while showing us that we can rise above any record breaking flood waters when God is in control!
Comment by Eve Annunziato - May 18, 2010 @ 10:50 AM
Thanks for leading by example…...for working out in the trenches with us. God has gifted you tremendously as a leader and communicator! The book, Plan B, is awesome and a must read.
Comment by Kevin Cook - May 18, 2010 @ 11:32 AM
It has been said that in the middle of great adversity, great leaders will rise up and enthusiastically meet the challenge head on. Well done Pete! May we who are leaders rise up with the same anthem and meet the challenges that face us in our day! May we lead our congregations (many of us being younger than most of our parishioners) with the Gospel in motion, proclaiming Christ’s victory over the world!
Comment by Sam Shultz - May 18, 2010 @ 12:29 PM
Pete, your ability to rally people around a vision is incredible. So thankful for your ministry and for the way God is using you to lead others, in Nashville and around the country.
Comment by Justin Davis - May 18, 2010 @ 02:41 PM
Pastor Pete, I loved this article. It has been such a privilege to witness the respones of the Crosspoint Community family. You guys have left an indelible imprint on my heart and mind. Thank you for the example you have set.
Comment by Makeda Pennycooke - May 19, 2010 @ 12:16 PM
i’ve been so grateful to watch and learn from your leadership over the past few years, pete. and during this incredible challenging crisis, you showed even more clearly what a strong, courageous, Godly leader you are. thank you for all you continue to do not only for nashville but even for people like me…
Comment by alece - May 20, 2010 @ 07:11 PM