Inspirations

 In the Storm In the storm when the waves are crashing in...        you are still God and you know what's best In the storm when all is dark and the sun hides...      e ven then you are still in control. In the storm when the thunder roars...     I hear your still small voice and I listen to you In the storm when when cold winds howl...     you tell me to have no fear and I trust you In the storm when everything around me is shifting...     I am anchored to you and I am safe. Even in the storm when I am torn and broken ...     you remind me that I am loved by you. In the middle of the storm when my soul is shattered...     you do the unexpected and come to me and I am comforted

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...

    Some storms pop up without warning out of nowhere.    One moment the weather is fine and the sun is shining,   the next the dark clouds are rolling in,   the thunder roars and lightning streaks across the sky.    There is little time to prepare.    There is no time to prepare for this kind of storm.    They blow in and blow out fast.   In our lives, we may experience some pop-up storms.    They are the situations in our life that pop up without warning.    One moment our life is calm and serene   and in a second the storm has come barreling down on us.    There is no way for us to prepare for these storms.    They may bring rain or a tornado one never knows or a small shower.   The only thing we can do is hang on and wait out the storm.    Don't get me wrong,   they can wreak havoc but they rarely last a long time.    Maybe you're in the middle ...

The past few months have been horrible for me.  I have faced some storms that I never  thought I would face. My life has never been easy, but the things I face now seem  insurmountable.  I don't say this to gain pity or have anyone feel bad for me. Instead, I want  to encourage you with these words from the gospel of John.  " In this world you will have  trouble." Trials and troubles  are a certainty and we can expect nothing less.   We all face  storms and no one is exempt.   For some of us, the storm  is the betrayal of a friend.  For  others, It may be a financial setback.   Still, others face the storm  of divorce.  For many, it is  sickness or death.  If you are not facing a raging storm at the  moment,  hang on it's likely around  the next curve in the road.  Storms always bring so much  uncertainty.  Sometimes as the ...

                                                                                         You must  destroy   all   the   people s  the   Lord  your God gives over to you.  Deut.  7:16 As I read this I have often wondered why God would require this seemingly harsh treatment of people. Did he hate them? No, he doesn't hate anyone. I know he didn't want his people to learn the ways of the "world", but why everyone? Some of them may have done nothing wrong. Did they deserve to die? No, probably not, but they were sucked into the drama of those around them. They aren't the only ones to have that happen to them. Simon the Cyrene had that happen when Jesus was being crucified. He was forced to carry the cross.  He's not the...

The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” …    Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.   Jonah 1:11, 15. This narrative of Jonah is compelling.  There are many parallels to the life of Christ.  But that is not what I was thinking about as I was reminded of this narrative today.  Jonah sinned and ran from the task God gave him to do.    He was instructed by God to go to Nineveh but, instead,  he headed in the opposite direction.    To get Jonah’s attention, God creates a storm, and it is a doozy.  It got everyone’s attention except Jonah’s.   He was sleeping.    Jonah’s disobedience stole everyone’s peace.  We all know people who are being disobedient to God.  Often their rebellion takes our joy.  We’ve all been there, at one...