Faith in the Face of Catastrophe...How Refreshing. May God Bless the Folks of Moore Oklahoma.

I, like most of you, have been rocked by the news over what has occurred in Moore, OK over the last two days. The unthinkable devastation that has taken place here should be enough to have us all counting our blessings. To emerge from a shelter to learn that everything you held sacred is gone in a matter of minutes is something that the folks who live in this part of the country know as a constant threat every spring.  As I watch interview after interview I continue to find inspiration from these people who refuse to think of themselves as victims.

We are living in times where few if anyone, particularly politicians and celebrities, are grounded enough to take responsibility for their wrongdoings. The more exposure they get the more likely they will find some sympathetic group who will shelter them with excuses and exploit them as a victim. The more they've been blessed with the more obnoxious they feel they are entitled to be.

When you juxtapose this behavior against the humble people of Moore, OK in the wake of this catastrophe it should really help us all put things in perspective. Once again true inspiration can be found in the humility so often displayed in America's heartland. Whether it be flood waters from rising rivers that wash away entire counties or tornadoes that leave schools, homes, hospitals and churches in piles of wood and twisted metal, the response always seems to be consistently the same.  Almost to a person, when asked where they begin to put the pieces of their lives back together the answer starts with prayer. Living in what many on both coasts love to derisively call the fly over states, these people rarely get to take center stage unless it's brought on by tragedy. However, when the spotlight shines on them their souls shine back. The response may not always be as eloquent or as grammatically correct as the elite class would like but at least it's consistent and always based in a belief in something greater than themselves. It would be very easy to use this stage to spout some political agenda or some other beef they've been harboring and waiting to use to paint themselves as victims, but refreshingly that never seems to be the case. They come together as a community and together they rebuild. They display no sense of entitlement, only grace and gratitude for what little they've been left to work with.

To the people of Moore Oklahoma, your response to this crisis is an inspiration and a lesson to us all. It's all much bigger than us. It takes true humility to know this completely. Unfortunately it often takes a tragedy of this magnitude so that  people of your strength may shine.  

To all those who suffered in this tornado's wake, I salute your courage. May God bless you and give you the peace and hope you so richly deserve.

Please stay tuned for more Musings from Studio 618.

All my very best,
Anthony