Ahead of the Storm (part 3)

You wake up, crawl out your warm cozy bed,

make your way the coffee maker and get your coffee.

With your coffee in your hand,

you sit down to watch the weather before you face the day.

The weatherman tells you about a disturbance in the Atlantic.

Overnight, a storm is looming. It may or may not come your direction.

You keep your eye on the storm.

You also prepare.

You will gather necessities such as food, toilet paper, water.

You board the windows and sandbag your house.

You may even have somewhere safe to go in the event the storm is too strong.

Often have an emergency kit.

A few things that you might need if the weather gets bad.

Sometimes life can throw a hurricane at us.

It's the kind of troubles and trials that we can see looming in the distance.

These are the things that you try to prepare for ahead of time.

Maybe you see a loved one struggling in their health

and you can sense that storm blowing in.

Perhaps the job you're working at is struggling financially

and you can feel the storm blowing in.

It may be that the storm is marital problems

and you can feel the storm intensify each day.

Maybe the storm is a wayward child making bad choices

and you feel the boat rocking with each choice they make.

We can't stop the storm from bearing down on us,

but we can prepare.

That may look like paying off bills before a layoff,

mentally preparing for longterm illness or death.

Preparing before the storm may look different for each of us

because each situation is unique.

One thing I know for sure,

The one thing we all need to do is anchor deep into Jesus.

Whatever other preparations you make,

you're going to need Jesus to see you through.

So you pray,

and listen for the voice of the shepherd directing your paths

as he speaks words of peace to your battered life saying,

"hang on,

this is just a storm,

I'm right here with you,

fear not."

Comments

Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a misse...

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road....

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within...

Inspirations

Search This Blog