Recurring Themes and Irene

Do you have recurring themes in your life? I do. I think many people do. One of mine is weather prayers. I remember the first time it even entered my mind to pray about weather issues. It was in the early 1980's, and I had had a dream about a tornado. It wasn't the first time. (another recurring theme, but that's another story) It left a strong impression on me as I went through my day, and I remember that sometime in the midddle of the day, we had the first ever that I could remember tornado watch here on Long Island. I remember the radio announcer being somewhat incredulous as he reported it. That just doesn't happen here. So I didn't know what to think about that, or what to do either. I called a friend and told her about the dream, and that I thought the Lord had given me a warning about the tornado. What should I do about this? Do I pray that it would be stopped?  She thought about it, and she said it sounded like a good idea; I thought so too. 

I was a very young believer at the time and had no idea of this kind of praying, or if a person could expect God to answer this kind of prayer. But I asked. And we didn't have a tornado. We had a warm and sunny and calm day. I was really glad. My kids were in school, and I had no way to get to them as we had only one car at the time. I had no idea what you needed to do to be safe in a tornado. And no desire to visit Oz.

Whatever the reason for no tornado, it built my faith to pray weather prayers.I believe it was God stopping by, and He encouraged  me to pray for things I knew little or nothing about.

Many years later, when my mother lay dying in a hospital in Siler City,North Carolina, I went and stayed there with her for 3 weeks. It was a hard time for all of us, but especially for my father. I spent the nights in the hospital, and my father and my aunt took the day shift. It was winter, and although the winters are milder there, it was cold and one late night we were getting a snowstorm. I prayed and asked the Lord to please hold back the snow, or could He please turn it into rain if we really needed the precipitation. I was worried about my father driving to the hospital as they don't really know how to handle snow down south; they rarely get any and don't have snow removal equipment or salt. You take your chances if you drive before it melts. The road to the hospital is windey and has no shoulders, not so good for an eighty year old man to be driving during a snow storm. It was snowing lightly in the morning when my father and aunt arrived, with no accumulation except on the grass. My aunt was full of news about the storm and kind of bewildered too.  "The weatherman showed a map of the storm, and it made a circle all around Siler City. In the middle it was completely clear. They never saw anything like it." Neither had we. I was so thankful. God is so good.

I prayed about this last storm we got too. Hurricane Irene. I pray differently now, and just as Jesus did, I tell the wind and waves to be still. I prayed that Irene would turn and go out to sea. I prayed that she would be what her name means; Peace. I prayed for protection for people in the path of the storm. I prayed for no loss of life and for no property damage. I prayed for the animals too; where do they go to be safe? I know lots of other people pray about storms too. We have varying degrees of success. I don't know why that is, but I believe it is worse when we don't pray at all. Irene did lots of damage. I think there would have been much more if no one prayed. I wish I had more wisdom and answers to the questions that many have as they read this, but I don't. I do know that I will pray the next time we get a hurricane or tornado or tsunami or earthquake or any other extreme weather or geological occurance warning.

Irene means peace. What I found this time around is that in the midst of the storm, I had peace. I was not afraid. I made preparations in case of power outages or floods, and stocked up on food and water. But not too much. I didn't think we were going to need it. We didn't. But many others did and still do. Some of our family lives in an area that was ravaged by flooding. Their need is great. Their neighbors too. Some have lost everything. There isn't much I can do. I can't go there; I can't help them clean up or try to salvage what they can, or even hug them and tell them it will get better. But in the meantime, I can pray.

this is not a lake, this is the flood zone in Middleburg.

Storm Damage

We had a storm last Thursday night. Adam and I were watching it out the front window; it was fascinating. The lightning was striking all around and very near; the thunder was booming almost immediately after. The rain came down like sheets of water and looked like a waterfall as it was so heavy. I don't remember ever seeing this type of rain before. Suddenly, we heard a loud CRAAACCK!!! One of the maple trees in the front yard broke. I dragged Adam quickly backward from the window as I thought it was coming right in. It didn't. It twisted and came down on the roof and on the deck outside our kitchen door.  The storm continued for about another twenty minutes; it lasted a total of about half an hour. I was waiting for it to be over so that I could go outside and see how much damage had been done. When I did, it appeared to be very little, and I was thankful for that AND that we have good homeowner's insurance. We are in Good Hands. :0} And good hands with Allstate.

The next morning, I called and filed a claim. They assured me we were covered and that the adjuster would come on Tuesday to inspect and see what we needed done. "Go ahead and have the tree removed, but take pictures" the claims department told me. So I did and posted them on Facebook. Of course. I called my regular tree service guys, but they were out of town. I called another local company that my husband Paul suggested, but he was busy with so much work already that he couldn't come until Monday. The third company gave me an emergency number to call, and it ended up being one of the owners who was in California on vacation, but assured me he would call one of the foremen and get someone over the same day. He was as good as his word. I heard from someone within the hour, and he was at the house shortly thereafter.

His name is Don.We spent some time going over the possible ways of removing the tree, the possibility of damage happening during the process and the price. I told him that the insurance company told me to get 2 or 3 estimates; he gave me a good price right away. He also promised to get a crew here the same day. I said that would be great, and that they had the job. Then he said "I wasn't supposed to be here." I said, "You mean because of another job?" He answered, "No. I mean I wasn't supposed to live. I'm a cancer survivor." I stuck out my hand and took his and said "Me too. I am a survivor also." He was somewhat taken aback, and then told me his story. He had been diagnosed in November, had surgery, chemo and radiation, lost 80 pounds, and here he was, back at work. We talked for a while. (You never know who is coming to your house, do you? But God stopped by too.)

I was encouraging him; he was saying "I don't know why I'm still here." I said,"Because you fought." He answered "No, I didn't. I prayed every day to die." Wow. So then I told him that he is here because God is not finished with him. That he has a purpose that he hasn't yet fulfilled. He might not know what that is, and neither do I, but God does. Just as I spoke these words to him, a cool breeze began to blow. There had not been a breath of air at all before this, and it was a hot day. We were both sweating. I told him that the Lord sent the breeze to show him that He was with him right then and there. And to refresh him. He just shook his head and said "yeah. that was kinda freaky."  I told him that I really meant it, and he agreed that something unusual had happened. So I took the chance and pressed forward a bit more, and said that I didn't know his spirituality, mentioned I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and told him that the Hebrew word for Spirit, breath and wind are all the same. He said that yeah, his wife is really religious. So I invited him into the house and showed him the picture of the Fire Tree, and told him the story. He was amazed. (you can read this story in the beginning of my blog; it is the first entry. just scroll down and click older posts.)

He left and came back with a crew a few hours later. The tree was down in about an hour. No extra damage. We tipped them and told them to have dinner on us, chatted for a few minutes and they left. Don would be back on Monday with the bill.

On Monday, my Snapfish order came. I had ordered a photo mug and some prints to frame for Paul; our anniversary is coming up and he loves new pictures. I had also ordered some prints of the fire tree. I wanted some copies to give away. The mail got here before Don did. He gave me the bill and I offered him a print of the tree. He said "Really? I would love a copy..." I gave him one and he stared at it for a few minutes. I said I was sorry that the quality wasn't better, but that you could still see it clearly. He said "Oh yeah, no doubt about it. You can't deny what this is." He was truly grateful for the picture. I thanked him for coming and getting the work done so quickly; he told me he was so glad to have met me. I said the same.

I am always amazed at how the Lord orchestrates things. He wanted to touch Don's heart, and He worked things out for him to be the one to come here for our storm damage. Don has a different kind of storm damage to clean up; I think the Lord has begun the work. I hope we meet again.

UNCLE JOE

The other day I had worship music on in the early morning, and I refused to put the t.v. on for Adam. He resisted at first, but then came in the kitchen to join me as I was worshipping and dancing; it was a three beat melody, like a waltz, so I  was waltzing. Adam rolled into the kitchen in his wheelchair and wanted to join me.( Adam needs to have his shoes and braces on in order to walk, so he was using his chair.It was still pajama time in our house; we were barefoot.) So we waltzed together and it was fun and the presence of the Lord was sweet. He hasn't danced with me in a long time. I don't really know why, except that all of my kids and grandkids dance with me when they are little, and then they grow into bigger kids and think it's funny and just won't do it. I think I embarrass them. :0}.

Later in the morning, I remembered my mother dancing with my Uncle Joe. He wasn't really my uncle, but when I was growing up everyone that was a close friend became an uncle or aunt. Uncle Joe was my father's friend from WWII. I don't really know how they met, only that they were in the war together, and he was a good friend of our family. He had been shot and his spinal cord was severed in his lower back; he used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He was a Purple Heart Hero. He was very independant and even drove his own car...he had hand controls for everything. I was always fascinated by this. He never took us driving but he always let us check out the car. He would hoist himself into it, fold up his wheelchair, and put it behind the driver's seat. I was amazed at how strong he was and how he could lift that heavy chair that way.  When he visited, my father would pull his chair up the front steps in order to get him into the house. Uncle Joe would hold the wheels and push backward,  and by working together, they always managed to get inside without any problems. On a few occasions, my mother would put on some old music, and she and Uncle Joe would do the Lindy. They were really good! The last time I saw them dance together was at my wedding.

I saw him once when my girls were little. He stopped by my home for a visit. He didn't want to come in, so since it was a warm and sunny spring day, and we sat under the shade of the oak trees hanging over the driveway and talked for an hour or two. He told me that he had become a Jehovah's Witness and was getting married. I shared my faith with him and wished him happiness. It was so good to see him. That was also the last time I saw him. I often wonder how things worked out. I think my parents lost touch with him after he married. I don't think they saw him again after they retired to North Carolina. It is strange to think that I never went to his home and never knew where he lived.(probably because there were five of us kids and he had an apartment). I guess when you're a child you don't think of those things, and when you're my age and begin to wonder about it, it's too late. But it's not too late to enjoy the memories. I just thought I would share this one with you today. Mom dancing with Uncle Joe; one of my favorites.

Broken Relationships

Broken relationships. These trouble me, even when it isn't my relationship that is broken. I hate to see this with anyone I care about. I like there to be peace, even when people disagree. There is a broken relationship right now that is really bothering me, as it hurts people that I love. But I can't fix it.

This morning I spent a considerable amount of time writing an email to one of the parties involved. I did a great job of asking questions and explaining my view of the situation. I expressed how the parties involved were hurt, and how I was also hurting for those involved. I even explained how I disagree with both parties in this, but how I still love and support them both. Then I deleted it. Why? Because it is just one of those situations that are better left to God. I cannot fix it, even though I would really like to build a bridge between them. I felt better, getting it on the outside, but to tell the truth, it still troubles me.

Several years ago, a prophetic guy visited our church. He spoke a word to me that I know was from the Lord, and it still rings in my heart when it needs to. "You will accomplish more by your prayers than by your involvement." It was a nice way of telling to me keep my mouth shut, trust God, and pray. He was right. In this instance and in many others.

I can't always fix things, but it is my nature to be a peacemaker. Sometimes the only way I can effect peace is to pray. It brings me peace, and often times calms the waters of other situations.The scriptures say that our prayers go up like incense before the Lord. So this morning I wrote out my peace offering and sent it up as a smoke signal. Thanks for stopping by and quieting me this morning, Lord. I could have done more harm than good.

IT'S STILL RAINING

It's still raining. It will rain until sometime tomorrow. Everywhere on Long Island, there are floods. People are needing to be rescued from the rising waters. And still the rain comes. Our block has a spot where it always floods when it rains hard. The state has put numerous drains in that area of the road, and it still floods in exactly the same place. You need to know where the high ground is under all that water in order to safely navigate the puddle. we have been living here for more than 30 years,and so we know how to get through without damaging the car.

The water level was down in our pool, and in need of being replenished. It is now threatening to overflow, and probably will by tomorrow.

It is very quiet outside. The birds are silent, the cicadas have ceased droning, there aren't any kids playing out there, and the guy with the race car and motorcycles has put them to rest for now. All I hear is the rain. Sometimes it is just a drizzle and hardly making a sound at all. Somtimes it is a steady soaking kind of rain, and I hear it rushing in the downspouts of the gutter system. Sometimes IT IS POURING! It sounds like drums on the roof  and reminds me of the tropical storms we experienced when we were in Florida.

I have been chatting on Facebook with a friend, off and on since last night. We are talking about all the changes in our lives and where we want to be and where we have been and how we don't want to be where we have been. We are ready for a change...and we have been ready for quite some time. We don't like a lot of what we see in christianity these days, and we don't want to judge or criticize any group of people who meet together in God's name, but we need something else. We have a friend who tells us "Go where you find life!" And we are doing that. Some times it's within the four walls of a church. Sometimes it's in the park. Sometimes it's at the beach, and sometimes it's in a local coffee shop. But we still want more!

What is it that we want? We want Jesus. We want more of his presence in our lives. We want to hear him and see him and know him better and love him more.

I find the presence of the Lord is often like this rain. After a long dry spell, we all need a  good dousing. Sometimes his presence is like a sprinkle, soft and refreshing. Sometime it is like a good soaking rain, long and deep and feeding the deepest roots. Sometimes his presence is like a downpour, saturating every bit of us as we stand in it. And I for one, can never get enough. I hope he rains until I am flooded with him. And I don't need rescuing. I need to swim and dive and stay in the flood until I am soaked through to the very core of my being. Maybe then I will have something of value to share with someone else. And I will; you can count on it. Rain on Lord! Reign on!

IT'S RAINING

It's raining. It's actally been pouring for awhile now. I woke this morning to the sound of rain and the smell of rain, and thanked the Lord.  It's been dry here and the plants and trees and animals suffer when there isn't enough rain.

On the other hand, two of my daughters are going on vacation with their families. One is going to the beach and staying in a hotel suite with a kitchen. The other one is going camping in a tent and cooking on a camp stove. The weather report says that it will rain until Tuesday; today is Sunday. It's not looking good for fun for either family.

Doesn't it seem to be like that so much of the time? It rains for some and times are not so good, just as at the same time it is rainy and wonderful for others. Sometimes even sunny and bright and perfect weather for others and we can't see past the clouds in our own lives. And we can't understand WHY.

I find that God stops by in all the different weathers of my life; I just need to be still long enough to hear Him speak. There is purpose in the sunny days and purpose in the rainy ones. There is purpose in the stormy days too. Sometimes my storms are of my own making and sometimes not. But God is with me anyway. He is the one who makes the winds stop blowing and quiets the roaring of the storms, sometimes while I am still in the middle of them. The storm may continue, but I have more peace until it completely subsides.

WHAT PURPOSE??? I don't always know, even after the storm is over. But I do know that when I listen for God and look for God and speak with God, I ride out the bad weather much easier than when I don't do those things.

Today I am praying for more rain. Not just the rain outside my windows, but for the rain of His Presence, and the Reign of His kingdom. I am on my way to gather with friends to worship Him this morning, rain, storm or shine...and I'd better get going or I will be late. Have a wonderful and blessed day today, and may the rain of God touch you in many ways!