Passion

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Garth Brooks, Nashville Flood

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Garth Brooks in concert.  The concert was the 8th of 9 shows in Nashville benefiting Nashville flood relief efforts and raising over 5 million dollars.

But this isn’t about the concert and the frickin insane show I witnessed.  This is about Garth and what I noticed at the show.

I witnessed true Passion as Garth Brooks lit up the stage for an 8th time just like it was his one and only appearance.  You could feel his passion and love for the fans, his music, his profession and the cause he was benefiting.  It was truly amazing to see.

It was easy to get caught up in the show but, over and over, it was evident that in front of me was a man who was passionate about life.

I believe passion is one of the most honorable traits a person can have.

A passionate Pastor will deliver life changing messages.

A passionate singer will deliver songs that stir emotion.

A passionate business professional will outsell or outwork his/her peers and become successful.

A passionate Mother will raise amazing children.

A passionate missionary will change lives.

A passionate doctor will save them.

It is a trait that all of us should strive to find but I don’t think many of us really do much with when we do find it.

What is your Passion?  What are you doing with it?

My goal for the New Year is this.  Find my passion. Use it.  Spread it.

Merry Christmas friends.

9 Days

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Nashville Flood, We Are Nashville

Flood- In Video

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Nashville Flood, Pete Wilson

Here is a video from Pete Wilson that really…well…tells the story.

We have friends in this area whose lives will never be the same.

It is hard for me to believe that most of this video is shot where my daughter played soccer just a week earlier.

Thanks Pete for this video…..

Scenes Around Bellevue

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Nashville Flood

Today we spent a big part of the day doing demo on a house.

Story after story of families who have lost everything but yet some how approach this situation with a smile and a great attitude.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

The first one though is of the high school down the street and it’s tennis courts.  You want to know how high flood waters got?  Notice the mud line along the top of the wind fence.

Hell in Nashville

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Nashville Flood

Today I saw hell first hand.  In Nashville.

I did not take pictures simply because I felt it an invasion of the situation.

My family and I made it over the 2 miles to our friends neighborhood where they sustained massive flooding.

What we witnessed was more than I could have ever imagined in our state let alone our area.

We first drove into the neighborhood to a row of homes that looked like everyday life. The surrounding areas and businesses up and running almost as normal.

However, as we crested the hill and to the lower side we saw a sea of cars, people and stuff.  You could see the water lines 6-8 ft up the sides of the homes.  The entire homes belongings including carpet, appliances, books, clothing thrown in the front lawns and people ripping siding off of their homes to keep from mold setting in on the house.

Masses of people covered in the “mud” of the flood which was sewage and the silt from the rivers near by.

I entered our friends house, now empty, to find a layer of mud throughout and a home it no longer habitable.  All of their life slung on the front lawn.

I did not see tears from people but worse.  Blank faces like hope had been sucked out of them.

On the positive side I saw throngs of volunteers helping any way they could on a project that, in the end, will still mean homelessness to many.

I do not know if this describes what I saw today, but I know this.  There is a lot of heeling that needs to begin and a lot of help needed.

I also know that Nashville is strong and resilient.  The people of Nashville are fighters and band together.

There is no looting.  No crime to be seen.  Just people living up to the state’s motto “volunteer”.

Hell might be sitting in Nashville right now but the people of Nashville will, through their kindness, volunteer spirit, and support, get the city back on its feet and push hell right back to where it belongs.