Midweek Moment

Good Afternoon all.

I want to thank you! We put out the request and you all responded. To date we have raised $230 to send to UMCOR to aid the efforts for the people ravaged by the storms in Moore, OK and the surrounding areas. So…thank you!

As we have watched, this tragedy keeps growing. These storms were not confined to one day or a small area. In fact, these storms struck again and their resulting devastation were felt as recently as this past weekend. The clean-up will take months, if not years. The emotional scars will be much worse. The loss felt by the people in Oklahoma, and their relatives and friends around the world, will never be filled.

So once again, thank you. Thank you for praying. Thank you for lifting up those people in their time of need and asking God to be with them in this darkness. Thank you for contacting me and asking for the UMCOR advance number so we could start collecting donations as soon as possible. Thank you for caring so much, about people you do not know, simply because Jesus taught you that was what we are to supposed to do for each other. Thank you for the grace you have extended to our brothers and sisters, as they try and bring order into intense chaos.

I am still amazed at how people try and say this was perpetrated by God. That God somehow caused this storm out of anger, punishment, or to create a teaching moment. I am so grateful that we serve a God of love. That our God will walk with us through those tragedies of life and bring redemption, even in the darkest of circumstances. I am humbled to see how people, the world over, send money, teams of people, and most importantly prayers to those faced with the destruction of these natural disasters. I am proud of you in how you have stepped up to the challenge to let the people of Moore, OK know we care and that in the name of Jesus Christ we love them.

The grace and mercy you all have shown in this hour, through your prayers and gifts, demonstrate how we are trying to be the heart, the hands, and the feet of Jesus Christ to another. I urge you to continue to walk this path, to continue to find time with God, to continue to allow the power of the Holy Spirit transform you from the inside out. In this moment, I can hear God saying to you, “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Have a great week and I will see you Sunday!