The Tornado

As I sit here today at work, I see the world around me and I see individuals with turmoil in their lives. I am not excluded from this turmoil. Life in this world can be like being in a severe wind storm.
Have you ever seen the movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton? In this movie at one point they get stuck in a major tornado and everything around them is sucked into the sky. They are holding onto a steel pipe that runs deep within the ground and is the only thing stable to hold onto. They have a belt that they can us to aid them in holding onto the pipe. Now the tricky part is that they have little time to brace themselves for this stage 5 tornado coming at them. The barn that they had gone into is now gone. This is a life and death situation and their only safety is this pipe. They Use the belt for added assistance and they soon find that their feet are flying in the air and they are close to being sucked up by this tornado. Once it is gone we can see that the pipe that went deep into the ground was the only thing that saved them.
Our lives as Christians are a lot like this picture. Take a moment to reflect on 2 Sam 22:2. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” Think about your life. Think about the things going on around you in the world. There are trials and tribulations going on all around you. Some folks are dealing with a sick loved one, some with the stress of losing a job or have lost their job and now face foreclosure. Some are facing the death of a loved one. There are some who have lost their jobs, then their homes and cars and are on the streets now losing their hope and their faith. These are their own personal stage 5 tornadoes that are facing them threatening to take their lives. If you find yourself in the midst of your own stage 5 tornado, don’t give up and let Satan win. Satan isn’t going to love and cherish you for all eternity, but there is one who will and that is God. When you ran from the tornado chasing you, you came up on a steel pipe that runs deep in the ground, it is very sturdy, and cannot be moved. You cannot run anymore. On the walls around you, you will notice a strap. Grab it, loop it around the pipe and then around your self. Grab hold of the pipe with everything you have, it’s the only way to survive. In doing this you have grabbed your Bible and a firm grip on God’s hand. God is the sturdy pipe in our lives and the strap we have used is our Bible. The reason this is our only way to survive is that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
So if you are having a rough time with life these days, don’t give up. Let go and Let God direct you. Don’t let go of God, let go of the worldly ways. People will see how close you are to God, they will see that the storm you are in has not gotten the best of you and that you are holding firm with Jesus by your side.
As we face a New Year, lets all let go of 2009. For some it was a great year, but for many it was an awful year. Stay in prayer, stay in your Word of God and listen for God’s voice. He is the calm of the storm. He cannot be moved or destroyed or sucked up by a tornado. He is the anchor of life.

Any thoughts or comments on this?

The crocheted tablecloth

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.
On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.
The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. 'Pastor,' she asked, 'where did you get that tablecloth?' The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria . When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.
The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.
He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.
The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.
True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
Who says God does not work in mysterious ways. I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you, His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through.
So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best. Just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest.