{"id":44189,"date":"2017-09-08T11:20:09","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T17:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=44189"},"modified":"2017-09-08T11:21:37","modified_gmt":"2017-09-08T17:21:37","slug":"now-is-the-time-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2017\/09\/now-is-the-time-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Now is the time."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Barbuda<\/a>
A NASA public domain image of the eye of Hurricane Irma over the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. \u00a0Federal and other resources already strained.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hurricane Irma hurtling toward Florida.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hurricane Katia (currently Category 2) just off the eastern coast of Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hurricane Jose (currently Category 4) not far from Montserrat, Barbados, and Dominica and headed toward the north northwest.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A massive 8.2-magnitude earthquake off the southern coast of Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u00a0were\u00a0thinking about making a donation to relief efforts after Harvey, please do so now. \u00a0Here\u2019s a good place, with no overhead charges:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

LDS Humanitarian Services<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, of course, there are many other places.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You will feel good about it. \u00a0I promise. \u00a0You will feel that, whatever else you might or might not accomplish today, you\u2019ve done something very worthwhile.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even if all you can manage is five dollars.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can\u2019t feed a hundred people, feed just one.\u201d \u00a0(St. Teresa of Calcutta [aka Mother Teresa])<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.\u201d \u00a0(Mahatma Gandhi)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Can we make a difference? \u00a0Yes, we can.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Consider this report right out of Houston:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will never forget the charity of the Mormons<\/a>.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And this:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMormon Helping Hands Lifts Hearts in Wind Damaged South Texas\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cChurch Releases Statement on Hurricane Irma\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cChurch Issues Statement on Mexico Earthquake\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, one occasionally hears a really silly claim made about disasters like Hurricane Harvey. \u00a0Here\u2019s a response to it:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Hurricanes Are Not Good for the Economy\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, obviously, a catastrophe might benefit certain sectors of the economy. \u00a0A flu epidemic, for instance, might put extra money in the pockets of drug manufactures. \u00a0Arms manufacturers would be in serious straits if there were never any wars. \u00a0But, on the whole, epidemics and earthquakes and wars and hurricanes are net drains on economies and represent net losses \u2014 often very large<\/em> losses \u2014 of wealth. \u00a0I saw a figure just an hour or two ago, for example, suggesting that Hurricane Harvey will ultimately have removed at least seventy billion dollars from the American economy. \u00a0To say nothing of the lives blighted and lost.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLove is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. \u00a0A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Joseph Smith<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

[History of the Church<\/em>,<\/span>\u00a04:227; from a letter to the Twelve dated 15 December 1840, Nauvoo, Illinois, published in\u00a0Times and Seasons<\/em>,<\/span>\u00a01 January\u00a01841, page 258; the letter is incorrectly dated 19 October\u00a01840 in\u00a0History of the Church<\/em>.]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. \u00a0Federal and other resources already strained. \u00a0 Hurricane Irma hurtling toward Florida. \u00a0 Hurricane Katia (currently Category 2) just off the eastern coast of Mexico. \u00a0 Hurricane Jose (currently Category 4) not far from Montserrat, Barbados, and Dominica and headed toward the north northwest. \u00a0 A massive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNow is the time.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. \u00a0Federal and other resources already strained.   Hurricane Irma hurtling toward Florida.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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