In Which I Was Going To Write About Music...But Then It Started Raining

Hey y'all. I don't know how much you've heard about what Nashville has been through in the past two weeks, but we had a flood.

Weather forecasters said we'd get 2-4" of rain on May 1 and 2. We got that, and it kept raining. It rained so much that people started making jokes about building an ark...and it kept raining. It rained all day and night Saturday and all day Sunday.

It rained so much, people were trapped in their cars on the freeway and the rivers rose till they broke their levees. It rained so much, whole neighborhoods were flooded and the water came into houses and flooded historic sites all over Nashville, including the Grand Ole Opry.

The rain stopped on Sunday night, and instead of 2-4 inches we got 13.5, which more than doubled the previous record for a two-day rainfall. And then after the rain stopped, the rivers kept rising. They rose and rose right up until Tuesday night, 13 or so feet above flood stage, and by then the river was everywhere—in the football stadium, the hockey arena, you name it. Everything located downhill in Nashville was full of water.

You can see for yourself here.

Nashville is used to heavy rains, but even an 80-year old man I talked to Monday said he'd never seen anything like it. The National Guard rescued people trapped in their attics, upstairs rooms, trees, cars, and swept away by the river. Hundreds of homes were flooded in 4-10 feet of water. (Take a look around the room that you're in. The average door knob height in America is 36 inches, or three feet. Imagine everything in your house below the door knobs under water.) And water is incredibly destructive.

This is a video of a 20-story rock quarry just outside Nashville, filling up with flood water on Sunday morning. By Sunday evening, the quarry was completely full of water.

In the middle of all this mess, a curious thing happened. Along with the pictures of total devastation, the TV news was also showing video of people risking their lives to help their neighbors get out of their houses. People banded together in the most amazing, selfless way possible to rescue their fellow humans. Nashville had been confronted with disaster, and Nashville started to shine almost as soon as the water started to rise. And it wasn't just a few people. It was people everywhere, doing all they could to help. Two horses, huddled together on high ground, were rescued by a boat full of people who gently led them to safety. A friend's elderly parents escaped their car in rising water and started walking. Somebody picked them up and brought them home. (Her father is 90 years old.) People all over town were rescued from trees, rooftops, attics, upstairs rooms, and cars—by their neighbors.

Over the last nine days, there have been a lot of stories about bad things that happened. Some people lost every single thing they owned. Some people died. A lot of businesses were ruined. Nashville is home to a lot of country musicians, many of whom stored their road gear, priceless guitars, and other equipment at a local riverfront warehouse that was totally inundated with water.

But there have been so many more stories of good things. In addition to the rescues, there have been volunteers. Tennessee is the Volunteer State, and I have always wondered what that meant. I don't wonder anymore. In the past nine days, people at one organization have volunteered more than 47,000 hours of their time to help Nashville rebuild. (That's over 5 years of work!) Neighborhoods are teeming with people who are helping, donating, or willing to help. A TV telethon last week raised $1.7 million in a donations for flood victims in few hours. Nashville is conserving water, and even something as simple as guys going without shaving contributes to flood relief. And I haven't even mentioned the tireless volunteers from churches, schools, community groups, and neighborhoods. The list of good things just goes on and on.

Nashville's response to the flood has been remarkable. A terrible thing happened here, and yet God has used it for good. Every day we hear testimonies about God's goodness and grace in this mess, and the love and generosity being shown by His body to people in need. Sometimes you get to see faith on a really big scale that just knocks you back and makes you realize how big God is. This is one of those times for us.

I'd like to ask for your prayers for our city—for needs to be met, for the fear a lot of people are feeling when it starts sprinkling, for those who have lost their homes or loved ones. But also take the time to thank God for all He is doing for us.

You can find out more about the Nashville flood at the Tennessean's web site or at Nashville's American Red Cross website. Sunday night at 8pm ET on GAC there will be a benefit concert to help flooding victims. Tune in and enjoy some country music. :)

See y'all next time.