• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Shop
  • A Rocha Intl

A Rocha USA

A Rocha USA

  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
    • Events Calendar
    • Join the A Rocha Community
    • Tackle Plastic Pollution
    • Take Climate Action
    • Wild Wonder Curriculum
  • Donate

There is no Drought of Living Water

A Rocha USA / November 6, 2014

By Robert Campbell, Pastor of Santa Margarita Community Church and A Rocha USA Board Member

The front lawn died sometime in November. We hold a small memorial in its honor every Monday and Thursday when we have permission to run the sprinklers, but choose not to. It is dead, all of it, from that bit full of Iris gone wild to the hollyhocks along the drive and down into the swale that borders every property in this small town. It is dead and looks like it won’t be coming back.

Water_Status, source SLOCountyWater.orgRestrictions are in place, gardens are withering and the well level record shows a little lower every week.

Average annual rainfall: 26.0 inches.

3 year average annual: 14.1 inches.

Supply status: Alert

Neighbors are literally borrowing water from neighbors, hauling it over to wash dishes and brush their teeth. Park rangers walk the shore of what used to be a reservoir, now 24, 7 and even 4% full…which means 76, 93 and 96% empty, dry, providing next to nothing for myself, my family and my quarter million neighbors.

We passed frightening in March, right after a freak storm gave us 1/2 of the years’ rainfall overnight. We passed frightening, did not slow down for awful and are presenting looking devastating in the face. And his face is looking a bit chapped already.

Everyday our local paper laments the slow growing disaster with Davidic tones, “How long O Lord?” The waters that bounded this Edenic paradise have long since ceased flowing. But one day the water of life, in the new heaven and new earth, will bring healing to the nations.

I found myself reading the biblical book of Revelation in a time of drought, an apocalyptic drought. I could not help but notice that wonderful imagery of the “one day” when all things are made right. On that day there will no longer be any curse. On that day there will no longer be any night. On that day…

There will be a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  

On that day, God will use water as He has always intended water to be used. Water will serve the healing of the nations. That is what God desires for the water that once flowed through my town, the water I used to grow annual grass where perennial grass flourishes natively. Maybe the drought has taught us something. Maybe those neighbors are now using water in a more biblical sense when they truck it next door as an act of love, for the healing of nations, or at least the healing of neighbors.

May God reveal to us that there is no drought of that living water, no lack in supply of healing. May God give us to drink daily from both the tap and the fountain of living water.

And may God cause both waters to flow freely…for the healing of neighbors.

Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.

—

Dramatic images of the California drought can be found at the SFGate.

 

Filed Under: A Rocha, Conservation, Creation Care, Environment, People, Planet, Redemption, Restoration Tagged With: A Rocha, arochausa, creation, Drought, environment, hope, Robert Campbell

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • A Rocha
  • A Rocha Arts
  • A Rocha Canada
  • A Rocha Ghana
  • A Rocha International
  • A Rocha Kenya
  • A Rocha Portugal
  • A Rocha USA
  • Advent
  • At Home
  • Au Sable
  • Autumn Ayers
  • Ben Lowe
  • Birds
  • Brittany Michalski
  • Bugs
  • Campus Chapters
  • Central Oregon
  • Central Texas
  • Church
  • Citizen Science
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Stewards USA
  • Climate Stewards USA
  • Community
  • Conservation
  • Core Commitments
  • Creation Care
  • Creation Care Camp
  • Dave Timmer
  • David Taylor
  • Dirt
  • Dr. Howard Snyder
  • Dr. Robert Sluka
  • Easter
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Ecosystems
  • Education
  • EEN
  • Election
  • Environment
  • Environmental Education
  • Extinction
  • Farm
  • Flo Oakes
  • Florida
  • Food
  • Forest
  • Global Partners
  • Gospel
  • Grant Shellhouse
  • John Elwood
  • John Stott
  • Kilns College
  • Leah Kostamo
  • Lent
  • Liuan Huska
  • Living Planet Report
  • Love Your Place
  • Marine
  • Mark McReynolds
  • Nashville
  • NW Washington
  • Partners
  • People
  • Peter Harris
  • Planet
  • Planetwise Blog
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Pollinators
  • Programs and Projects
  • Race
  • Recycling
  • Redemption
  • Resources
  • Restoration
  • Robert Campbell
  • Sabbath
  • Sandra McCracken
  • SoCal
  • Species
  • Theology
  • To Repair the World
  • Uncategorized
  • Washington DC
  • Wheaton
  • Wild Wonder
  • Worship
  • YECA

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • May 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012

Tags

All Things Reconciled arocha A Rocha A Rocha Marine A Rocha USA arochausa biodiversity birds Christmas citizen science Climate Change Climate Stewards community conservation creation Creation Care Creation Care Camp Dave Bookless dirt environment explore place arocha arochausa saltandsteel trees nature gospel Gratitude hope internship Kellie Haddock Love Your Place loveyourplace making all things new Marine Miranda Harris New Year nwwashingtonarocha Peter Harris prayer Redemption Restoring people and places Richard Louv Sandra McCracken Seasons songwriting sustainable Together in the Harvest Tom Rowley Wild Wonder

Footer

A Rocha USA
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • ABOUT US
  • What We Do
  • Meet the Team
  • Careers and Internships
  • Contact
  • RESOURCES
  • Blog
  • Join Love Your Place
  • Multimedia
  • GET INVOLVED
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Join Our Community
  • Take Climate Action
  • Marine Conservation
  • Camp Curriculum
  • Projects

© 2016 A Rocha USA Environmental Stewardship

A Rocha USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 31-1751509
  • ECFA |
  • GuideStar |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Faith Statement