Til The Storm Passes By

April 2011 will be remembered as one of the saddest months in the history of Alabama. Numerous large, long-track tornadoes tore through the state leaving over 200 dead, hundreds missing, and millions of dollars in property damage. Nearly all counties in the northern two thirds of the state were said by the Emergency Management Agency to have sustained “heavy damage.” Still, God’s people emerged from the rubble, working through His power and bringing glory to His name. As often happens, God caused good to come from bad.

In going to assist in East Limestone, I noticed that many workers who had no friends or family in the damaged area wanted to especially focus on people who had moved to the north Alabama from elsewhere. These are the ones who did not have loved ones nearby to help them dig out and rebuild. The idea seemed to be that nobody should go through such trying times without at least a little help, even if it had to come from strangers. Therefore the strangers cranked their chainsaws and got to work. Perhaps these volunteers thought of themselves in the same situation and how difficult it must be not to have the people you care about the most nearby to lend a hand. Regardless of their thought process, the recipients of their kindness were very grateful

Strangely, there are many instances when Christians do not seem to have that attitude toward each other. When the spiritual storms are howling overhead, and damage is done to our temporary homes we sometimes prefer to keep people at a distance. We attempt to keep them away because if they come near, they will see the wreckage left behind from the storm. We want them to believe everything is normal when in fact the opposite is true. Unfortunately the other Christians can be all too happy to oblige. They see no reason to add another problem to their already busy and stressful lives. In short, Christians sometimes leave each other alone.

Obviously, this is not every Christian. In fact, there are many caring, empathetic Christians who are ministering to hurt souls every day on every continent. Many people reading this will fall into that category. However, we do need to be reminded at times that God calls us to be involved in the joys of each others’ lives and be present to clear debris when the storms of life do their worst. James writes clearly about what true Christian fellowship looks like:
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”- James 5:13-16)
The important lesson is that we share with each other, both good things and bad. We help each other out when need be and we pray with and for our brothers and sisters.

For the Sake of Hope

During the last month, the world has witnessed many acts of heroism whether they be from citizens of north african countries demanding better government or workers in Japan risking their own safety by working in a damaged nuclear plant trying to prevent additional radiation from leaking out. This story is from Voice of America:
"A dog rescued from the sea atop the floating debris of a house has been re-united with her owner, three weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.

Images on Japan's NHK TV showed the medium-sized brown dog, named "Ban," wagging her tail in the arms of her owner Monday at an animal shelter in the quake-battered region of Miyagi.

Ban was plucked off the wreckage of a house drifting almost two kilometers off the shore last week by a Japanese helicopter rescue crew.

The dog's owner, whose name was not made public, saw the rescue on television and rushed to claim her pet.

Thousands of people are still missing three weeks after the disaster, which left more than 12,000 dead and orphaned dozens of pets."

This traumatize animal captured the world's attention by surviving a situation in which so m any people perished. The tsunami washed on shore carrying entire buildings miles inland only to take them away as it retreated back into the sea. Apparently this canine's house was one of those structures.

With thousands of people dead and thousands more still missing, it could be considered peculiar that a mere dog would elicit such powerful emotions as the footage of his rescue spread around the globe. Certainly, there are many families in Japan that were hoping to see a similar rescue of their loved ones, praying that by some chance the people they cared about the most would find their ways home. Dogs are said to be "man's best friend" but those rescuers were not out searching for dogs lost at sea. Still, it was seen as a significant event that warmed so many hearts even in Japan where clean-up and recovery efforts are ongoing. Perhaps the reason for such a flood of positive feelings was what the pooch represents: hope through adversity. Maybe the feeling was that if a dog could survive for three weeks in a house floating offshore then the people of Japan could also find a way to persevere through what will be a long road to normalcy. The rescuers acted and the media reported for the sake of hope in difficult circumstances not necessarily because of the dog or his thankful owner.

As we conclude our discussion of sharing the Gospel, we should be mindful of why we share, why we act the way we do in our efforts to rescue those who are lost and in need of saving. In 1 Corinthians 9:23, Paul says that he does what he does for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel is its own justification. It stands on its own. We need no other reason to share its blessings with others. Just as the Japanese rescuers saved that dog for the sake of hope, we share our knowledge of God’s fulfilled promise for the sake of that good news.

For the Sake of Hope

During the last month, the world has witnessed many acts of heroism whether they be from citizens of north african countries demanding better government or workers in Japan risking their own safety by working in a damaged nuclear plant trying to prevent additional radiation from leaking out. This story is from Voice of America:

"A dog rescued from the sea atop the floating debris of a house has been re-united with her owner, three weeks after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan.

Images on Japan's NHK TV showed the medium-sized brown dog, named "Ban," wagging her tail in the arms of her owner Monday at an animal shelter in the quake-battered region of Miyagi.

Ban was plucked off the wreckage of a house drifting almost two kilometers off the shore last week by a Japanese helicopter rescue crew.

The dog's owner, whose name was not made public, saw the rescue on television and rushed to claim her pet.

Thousands of people are still missing three weeks after the disaster, which left more than 12,000 dead and orphaned dozens of pets."

This traumatize animal captured the world's attention by surviving a situation in which so m any people perished. The tsunami washed on shore carrying entire buildings miles inland only to take them away as it retreated back into the sea. Apparently this canine's house was one of those structures.

With thousands of people dead and thousands more still missing, it could be considered peculiar that a mere dog would elicit such powerful emotions as the footage of his rescue spread around the globe. Certainly, there are many families in Japan that were hoping to see a similar rescue of their loved ones, praying that by some chance the people they cared about the most would find their ways home. Dogs are said to be "man's best friend" but those rescuers were not out searching for dogs lost at sea. Still, it was seen as a significant event that warmed so many hearts even in Japan where clean-up and recovery efforts are ongoing. Perhaps the reason for such a flood of positive feelings was what the pooch represents: hope through adversity. Maybe the feeling was that if a dog could survive for three weeks in a house floating offshore then the people of Japan could also find a way to persevere through what will be a long road to normalcy. The rescuers acted and the media reported for the sake of hope in difficult circumstances not necessarily because of the dog or his thankful owner.

As we conclude our discussion of sharing the Gospel, we should be mindful of why we share, why we act the way we do in our efforts to rescue those who are lost and in need of saving. In 1 Corinthians 9:23, Paul says that he does what he does for the sake of the Gospel. The Gospel is its own justification. It stands on its own. We need no other reason to share its blessings with others. Just as the Japanese rescuers saved that dog for the sake of hope, we share our knowledge of God’s fulfilled promise for the sake of that good news.