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Thursday, November 10, 2005

In the Eye of the Storm

I suppose the eye of a hurricane is one of the most fascinating aspects of the storm. It is amazing that such a powerful storm would have a place of relative stillness at its center. We probably take for granted that we have the ability to track these storms and know when they are coming and that the eye is not the end of the storm. I imagine throughout history there have many people killed because they ventured out thinking the storm was over. There are those, however, even in the modern world who choose to ignore the warnings and think of the eye as a time to play in the streets.
As I think on this it draws my mind to a theological truth found in 1 Thess. 5:2-5,

2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

In some respects we too are sitting in the eye of God’s wrath. That is not to say that God is not currently demonstrating His wrath, but that it could be called relative stillness when compared to what is to come. So, we must not live as if the storm of God’s wrath is over and seclude it to the Old Testament. Christ will return and He will come with a vengeance for His glory unlike anything we have ever imagined. So, let us prepare ourselves now and not be caught playing in the street!

Wilma Update

Hurricane Wilma gave South Florida a pretty good pounding, so I have been swamped with relief efforts and taking care of issues with damage to the buildings here at the church. This is far from the kind of entries I normally enter, but I wanted you all to know why I have not posted in a while. I should get back to more frequent regular postings now that things are calming down.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us as we have sought to recover from the storm. Please continue to pray, however, there is still much to be done. At the most recent meeting we were informed that there are 170 people living at a shelter that has a capacity of 120 because they literally have no homes to which they can return. There were over a hundred homes in the Clewiston area deemed unlivable (which is the politically correct term for "condemned") Also, there are still areas on the outskirts of Clewiston without power 2 1/2 weeks after the storm. So, there is still much coordination to be done with city officials and the churches to be sure these people are taken care of. In light of all this, however, we can praise God for His grace and mercy. No one in our county was killed by the storm, even though there were people in trailers that were literally falling apart around them during the storm. Again, thank you for your prayers!