It has been a wild weather week in Oklahoma. As I write this blog I just put away the extension cords and secured the generator that was graciously delivered by Stuart Turley on Tuesday morning. I am a little ashamed to be sharing this blog in just this way. Many people lost their entire homes and most of their belongings, and we skirted by on the south side of the tornado that ripped through our neighborhood on Monday. I was feeling so good on Sunday afternoon. My family had taken care of its Mother’s Day ritual of going to the plant store and purchasing the plants that would grow in our gardens around the house. I was proud of what we had accomplished over the last two weeks of work in getting the lawn under control. I do not have pristine lawn like some of you. We are happy to have grass under the canopy of trees at our house. In 2007 with the ice storm we lost about 20 trees out of our front yard and although we were sad to see them go it did provide more sun and therefore more grass and we were thankful. You can get a little tired of mowing dirt. Everything was just getting the way we wanted it when the storms blew through on Monday and bang, roof damage, the pool is an absolute mess, trees down everywhere, sticks and twigs stuck all over the yard. Joshaua and Elizabeth witnessed hail being lifted off the ground and blowing in the opposite direction of the storm.

Why does it seem to happen this way? Why is it that just when you think you’ve kind of got things going your way does something come and blow it all up in your face? The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Tornados do the same. I do not believe God ordained the tornados that struck the Oklahoma area on Monday. I do not believe God set the wind in motion to take the lives of two people and injure several others. I do believe that God will use whatever method to create good out of a sense of devastation. I witnessed our little street of twelve neighbors draw closer together in the last 36 hours than we have been in the 13 years I have lived there. We have been forced together to care for each other in ways that only something devastating can do. I know that Kevin Collier, our janitor and fellowship church member, who lost his home to the tornado on Monday, received prayers and hands of help from people who had no plans of coming to his house before Monday evening happened. I know he was visibly moved and proud to see people from "his" church come to offer aid and assistance on Tuesday.

What does God need to use to get your attention? Will He use the wind and storms of life to get you to reach out to others? If you have not gone to introduce yourself to the neighbors at least two houses away from you and across the street, I suggest you get up from your computer and hit the streets. Those are the people who will be dragging you out of your shelter as we witnessed on television this week. God wants us to be in community with each other so we can jointly make it through this life and carry on to life everlasting. How will you respond to circumstances which come in your life? I pray you have many church friends and family to help you on the journey.

On the journey together,
Kirk