When Love Trumps Theology: The Moore Tornado

The long skinny pole in the center of the photograph to the left is the top of the crane at Plaza Towers Elementary School, Moore, Oklahoma. I was standing one block west of the school where those seven children died when I took this picture. The devastation of the neighborhood around the Plaza Towers is beyond comprehension. My brother Brett and I walked west from the Command Post near Warren Theater on I-35 through a Moore neighborhood that had been destroyed. After traversing a city park strewn with debris, we crossed the Little River. The park and river are where the homeless in Moore, Oklahoma usually live, and we both had the feeling we would find bodies as we walked. Normally, we would not have been able to cross the river, but the debris so clogged the water flow--debris that included dozens of  destroyed cars-- that we walked across the river without getting wet. On the west side of the Little River, about a half mile west of Warren Theater, we hit ground zero of the Moore tornado. People are still not being let in, and search and rescue teams are continuing their work. Moore city officials are overwhelmed trying to get the infrastructure repaired. We walked with Oklahoma Natural Gas teams as they sought to shut off gas that continued to seep from broken pipes above concrete slabs. The area was still extremely dangerous. Twenty-four bodies have been found, but I can't imagine that there will not be additional deaths uncovered when debris begins to be cleared. One particular house we passed had been cleared by search and rescue three times (you can tell by an orange X, a silver M, and a Green ^). Surprisingly, there were a number of dogs in houses where there were no people. Animal control and additional police were helping get the animals to shelters. Of course, the focus was on finding people alive, and in one particular house we passed, search and rescue found a man alive - the third time the house was cleared.

The very generous people of Emmanuel Enid have helped the people of Moore. By the end of the day

we were able to place twenty-one 7,000 watt generators with law enforcement, search and rescue personnel, fire crews, and rescue shelters, all of whom were in need of portable electricity. Paul Baker's Emrick's Moving and Storage (a member of Emmanuel) continues to collect donations at his office on South Van Buren in Enid and will be transporting the materials to the people of Moore. Go by tomorrow and drop off your supplies at Emrick's. The greatest needs are batteries (C and D), gloves, flashlights and trash bags. Paul will get the materials to Moore. Money for fuel to run the donated generators for weeks has been given by an Emmanuel member. Five Moore families who lost homes and/or loved ones have received cash through Emmanuel's benevolence fund. Our young people will be coming down Friday or Saturday to help clear debris. I saw the Enid Police Department guiding traffic at 4th Street and Telephone Road, just north of the Command Center. Donations have flooded into Moore from around the world, but the people of Emmanuel Enid (and Enid proper) have made a huge impact in this city.  I have not seen much from social media or watched television the last 24 hours, but Brandy Ester, a nurse from Emmanuel, sent me a text quoting NBC Television newscaster Harry Smith, who when interviewed by Brian Williams said, "If you are waiting for the Federal Government to help it's going to be a while, but the Baptist men will get it done tomorrow." Amen, Harry Smith. After seeing the huge Baptist Disaster Relief Tent in the parking lot of FBC Moore, Oklahoma,  and the crowds being fed by Baptist men (and women), I echo Harry's sentiments.

There are all kinds of heartbreaking stories from the disaster zone in Moore. The story of the seven children who drowned in the basement of their school has broken all of our hearts. The most difficult rescue for a couple of the men with whom I spoke was pulling a eight-year-old boy out from under his dead mother, a boy who had been trapped underneath his mom who had shielded him from certain death. During the May 1999 Moore tornado I found a little dead baby in a field. I almost stepped on the child, thinking she was a doll. Every step I took today through Moore brought back that memory. I thought for certain I might find something similar, but thankfully I did not.  About 6:00 p.m. tonight, after walking hours through the devastation of Moore, Oklahoma, my father sent me a text asking "Wade, have you seen this?" He included a photo of John Piper's tweet (see above). Honestly, I thought maybe Piper's twitter account had been hacked. Though I believe in the sovereignty of God,  I can't fathom how somebody like John Piper can allow his theology to trump his love. People who have lost loved ones to death during a great wind don't need theologians to quote Scripture about people dying in a great wind. They need our love. Thank goodness Oklahoma is filled with people who let their love trump their theology.

I thought about closing today's post with a picture of a woman in tears as I handed her cash  to help with her short term expenses, cash that came from the people of Emmanuel Enid. She burst into tears and couldn't even say "Thank You" because of her emotions. My brother took the picture and then hugged her as I told her that the people of Emmanuel Enid just wanted her to know that there are people in Enid who cared for her and her family and were praying for them during their time of loss. I am not going to show you the picture out of a desire to protect Kaylee's privacy. But as I close this post after a very long day I just want to say "Thank You" to all of you who have helped the people of Moore through your love, your prayers, and your finances. Let us always allow our love to trump our theology. It is the only way people will know we belong to Christ.