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The Mighty Flooding Mississippi River

Where I live, flooding is a rare thing. When it does occur, it is generally on a small scale, doing minimal damage.

Aside from watching flooding video on TV, I have little real comprehension of the wide-scale power of a major flood and the damage a raging river can cause.

Last week, on my visit to St. Louis, I was able to get a first-hand look at the immensity and raw force of the surging waters.

These shots were taken on Thursday, June 19, about 11 hours prior to the floodwaters cresting; the site was the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park (the St. Louis Gateway Arch).

According to experts, much of the flooding and damage could have been avoided.

Each effort that is made to stop the river from overflowing its banks in one area renders it that much more likely to flood elsewhere—usually downstream.

So, if the river were allowed to naturally overflow into its flood plain without human intervention, the excess water could be removed from the river at many points along the way, minimizing downstream disaster.

As it is, attempts to stop flooding only serve to keep all the water contained, flowing towards the ocean.

Eventually, the amount of water continues to expand until it breaches levees and overflows its banks. When it does the volume of water and the force behind it do great damage.

As such, I am certainly glad that I don’t live anywhere near a flood plain.

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Personal Posts

April Showers Bring May Flowers

My yard is coming alive with color. In addition to the greening of the grass (winter-brown was getting old), I’ve been enjoying flowers of all colors. This starts each spring, reminding me of new life.

First up is my Flowering Crab Apple Tree. It has lush white flowers every spring, which last for two or three weeks. This photo is of the tree at its peak.

Next is the Periwinkle (also called Vinca Minor or Myrtle). It has light blue flowers in the spring; it continues flowering throughout the summer, but not to the same extent as right now.

Lastly is the Phlox. It also flowers in the spring, lasting three or four weeks.  It’s not been doing too good the last few years, as nearby trees are producing much more shade than the Phlox likes.

A close-up of the flower is shown in the final photo; they are quite stunning, but the foliage, which we see most of the year, is less than stellar.

I would like to transplant the Candystripe Phlox to a more suitable area in my yard, but I have yet to figure out where.

As far as were the Phlox are currently residing, I have already interspersed plantings of Dragon’s Blood Sedum, which has lush foliage and scarlet flowers in late summer to fall. (Where it is currently growing, there is no longer enough sunlight for it to bloom.)

Do you like this post? Want to read more? Check out Peter’s book, Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide: Discovering the Spirituality of Every Day Life, available wherever books are sold.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.