When the first storm of the 2006 hurricane season posed a threat to Florida last week, many media stories echoed an underlying sense of dread about some of the possible consequences should the storm hit with full force. It turned out that the effects of Alberto were not as severe as initially anticipated; nevertheless, lingering memories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita led many to fear the worst. The lectionary's assigned gospel text for June 25 -- Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus calming the great storm -- certainly speaks to the fear we have of our great storms.