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I just watched a video from my cousin who was canoeing down the streets of his brother-in-law’s neighborhood, his paddles occasionally hitting car roofs submerged in the waters. Like many others, he’s doing what he can to rescue neighbors and help people get to safety.

The devastating floodwaters have displaced thousands of Texans. But volunteers are also flooding into Houston, as Americans link arms and demonstrate already a remarkable spirit of resilience and grit. Those of us watching are in awe at the catastrophe, but also at the character of ordinary people who inspire us with acts of heroism and kindness.

The main reason I am full of hope for Houston is because I know the church is there, and we’re about to see her shine. In a tribute to her city, Beth Moore writes:

I’ve never known more Jesus-serving, Jesus-loving, people-loving, people-serving folks on earth than right here in my hometown of Houston, Texas. I know you think I’m just saying this because I’m all teary eyed with sentimentality but, with all due respect, you’d be as mistaken as a Longhorn in College Station.

God has people all over the great city of Houston. And there are thousands of “Jesus-serving, Jesus-loving, people-loving, people-serving folks” all across the country mobilizing right now to bring relief. And why not? Christians choose not to run away from suffering, but toward it, with arms outstretched into places of deep pain and sorrow, just like our Savior did when he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.

No matter how efficient and effective the government may respond to the needs in Houston, it won’t be enough. Government cannot save us.

No matter how powerful the scenes of neighbors helping neighbors, these won’t be enough either. There are just too many people affected.

Still, we can be full of hope. Houston will get through this tragedy because of God’s people who are already there and God’s people who are on the way—volunteers from all over the country giving and going, not just for days and weeks, but months and years, long after Harvey’s waters have receded and people pick up the pieces of their lives.

I remember how churches mobilized when the Nashville flood hit a few years ago. In the aftermath, we gutted houses and helped people reconstruct their lives. I remember the stench of those washed-out neighborhoods, but I also remember the fragrance of God’s people, present in the pain.

The church gets a bad rap a lot of the time. Even when we’re at our best, our allegiance to Jesus as the true Lord of the world never goes over well in cultures consumed by false loves. And when we’re at our worst, our frequent missteps and hypocrisies bring well-deserved criticism.

Still, when disasters come, the church rushes into the mess of the world to put things back together. We can show a sin-soaked, fallen world that God has promised to make “all things new.” We want to give people a glimpse of God fulfilling that future promise, through our present work.

Denominations get a bad rap, too. People think of networks and denominational affiliations as just a bunch of bureaucracies holding on to past glories. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, the churches arrived before the government. Newscasters noted the Baptist presence that remained there for years. So did other volunteers:

“Oh man, let me tell you. You ain’t seen nothing like those Baptists. They come roaring in with all kinds of trucks and trailers. They set up these huge kitchens, start cooking and they don’t stop until we tell them we don’t need any more.”

You can mock the old -imey Baptists for potlucks and revival services and simple Christian lives, or you can watch with your mouth agape when thousands of people who are already prepped, trained, and equipped with chainsaws and tools and clothes and casseroles descend on a place to help those who are hurting. I don’t want to just watch. I want to help, and I hope you do, too.

Churches in the area have set up flood relief funds. Here are two:

You can also give to the North American Mission Board’s disaster relief fund here.

This is a time for the church to show the love of Christ to people in distress. Look for ways to give, to go, and pray for God to get all the glory.

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