Posted on 09/16/2006 11:09:29 AM PDT by Between the Lines
The city council in Lubbock has called another "Day of Prayer," but this time it's not to seek God's blessing, it's to say thank you.
The council had declared a day of prayer and fasting on July 30 to seek God's gift of rain for the region, which had had just 5.71 inches since Jan. 1, according to a report in the Avalanche-Journal.
Since then, 6.55 inches of rain has fallen, even triggering some flooding. And now the council has declared Sunday a day of prayer and thanksgiving.
"It's not hocus pocus," Mayor David Miller told the newspaper. "It's not magic. It's just honoring the Creator."
One Lubbock resident told WND, "It is wonderful to see a city acknowledge God's sovereignty, and even more wonderful to see such an obvious demonstration of His power to answer prayer."
An announcement at Pray Lubbock! said, "Thank the Lord for Every Drop! Let's make Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006 A Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving!"
The earlier pronouncement that officials in the drought-stricken area were taking their pleas to God triggered a lot of sniggering – and made it into the "quirky" sections of big-city dailies.
But then the rains started.
Some three and a half inches of rains fell in the town over the Labor Day Weekend alone, overflowing some reservoirs and spillways.
The area had been "dealing with red flag warnings, fire danger, and extremely dry conditions," according to Jody James of the National Weather Service.
Drought contingency plans, in fact, had been started as long ago as last January, and during the cotton growing season from June 1 and the end of July, Lubbock got only .75 inches, only a fraction of its normal 4.43 inches during that time.
It's not the first time prayers for rain in Lubbock have met with good results. In January 2004, after a year of drought, the city and county set aside a Sunday to pray for rain and got the second-wettest year since records have been kept.
The decision to hold a day of thanks comes even though the city still is nearly 2 inches below its average rainfall of 14.12 inches for a year, officials said.
The Lubbock County Commissioners Court also has joined in the declaration.
Te Deum laudamus
No doubt, you meant drought, not dought. :-)
It's crap like this that makes it hard for us to criticize a bunch of religious zealots and keep a straight face while we do it.
You're right. That's what I get for being in a hurry. :O)
As a nation we had many days of prayer and thanksgiving in our history.
Lincoln etc.
And I used to wait up for Santa Claus.
I hope you find the Lord, my friend. He is real. Not like Santa Claus.
Have a good day.
Sarcasm or not, that's funny!
I heard this story from my preacher who works in Lubbock and travels to preach for our congregation each weekend.
What an awesome story...how wonderful to have Godly men in charge. It makes all the difference.
It might just make the difference in their crops, too...honoring our Creator is always a good thing.
The Resurrection is as provable a historical event as Caesar's conquest of Gaul. Hardly comparabale to Santa.
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