Dear God,

You must be fiercely humorous and dead serious. Let your servant petition before you.

No sooner had the havoc-wreaking feminine-sounding Katrina flexed her mighty muscle, humbling this nation again just four years after the dial of 911, than comes another less feministic Rita. My theology (bible-based science about you) tells me that nothing is not in your perusal and superintending. Thus I conclude that Rita must be sent from your throne, directly, for the entire cosmos is sitting on your palm.

You must have seen the 100-mile long, 8-lane wide parking lot on Rt.45 between Houston and Dallas. That is a testament of our human frailty and insecurity. You have truly humbled all of us, even the most violent atheists. O Lord, just a little wind, a little rain and a little pain will do well in teaching us a lesson to number our days aright. We are a very forgetful people indeed. Once in a while, we do need your whipping, whipping by wind during this season of hurricanes.

You once said to your prophet Elijah in a gentle voice after an earthshaking whirlwind on Mount Horeb. Lord, speak to us loudly through Hurricane Rita. Rebuke us for we have sinned over and over, trampling the statue of your Ten Commandments by voting our pleasure or displeasure as to where it can or cannot stand. Some people try hard to strike out the phrase of "One Nation Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. It is not unimaginable that someday the once coveted green bills will be devoid of "In God We Trust".

Lord, just yesterday, we saw how 18 senators in the judiciary committee voted their conscience (principled or not, you know fully well the human hearts of those firebrand hypocrites). Whip us, O Lord, until we come back to you with humility and a reddened butt.

But please do not crush us, for we cannot sustain even a 50-mph wind, let alone 150-mph. Spare the lives of those who do not know right from wrong while humbling them to their knees before you. Call home those you deemed ripe and worthy.

We come to you for whipping, rebuking, healing and comfort.

In your son our brother Jesus' holy name, we pray, Amen!