“Where Is God in a Storm?”

When Trouble Hits

Three tornadoes were among the severe storms that struck east Tennessee on Sunday night. Hail and wind toppled trees and damaged homes and property. Thankfully, no one was killed or hurt.

I refuse to call bad storms “God’s will.” Harmful weather is an act of nature, not an act of God.

Imagine a toddler standing atop a flight of stairs. Would God push that child down the stairs? Then why would God intentionally knock us (or our house) down with a tornado?

If you had to sleep elsewhere because your roof was gone, would you want other people to wonder what you did wrong for God to punish you like that?

“The Power of a Question: Part 2”

A Life-Changing Question

Three years ago I fell into a dark pit. My journey out began with a question: What do you want?

Not counting restaurants, birthdays, or Christmas, I couldn't remember the last time anyone asked me this. My life always seemed to revolve around what others wanted from me or for me.

The question left me silent. I could rattle off what I didn’t want but had no answer for what I did want.

Several months later, I quit a role I wasn’t designed to play so I could soar.

“The Power of a Question: Part 1”

The Master of Questions

Jesus loved questions. He told parables and gave commands, yet He knew the power of questions. They lower barriers and sneak by our defenses to reach the truth.

In 2012, Monsignor Charles Pope wrote “100 Questions Jesus Asked and You Ought to Answer.” http://blog.adw.org/2012/02/100-questions-jesus-asked-and-you-ought-to-answer/  

“The Declaration of Dependence”

238 Years and Counting

I began to write from memory. “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Done!

Mr. Harris, my 7th grade history teacher, had our class learn the first few lines of the Declaration of Independence. He wanted us to appreciate how blessed we are to live in America. How many other countries have enjoyed freedom from foreign rule since 1776?

“What Dreams Are You Fielding?”

Some Things Never Change

Twenty-five years later, I reacted the same way.

To mark its 25^th anniversary, my wife and I watched “Field of Dreams” on Turner Classic Movies. At the end, Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) recognizes that one of the ball players who shows up from the past is his father as a young man. Ray introduces his dad to his wife and daughter, then asks him to play catch.

As father and son throw the baseball on the field of dreams, the impact hit me just as hard as it did in the theater in 1989.

"When You’ve Lost Everything”

Difficult Questions

Have you ever lost everything?

Major setbacks can make us feel like we’ve lost it all. I find the more I dwell on what was taken away, the easier it is to overlook what remains.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 inspires a lot of questions at such times.

There is a time to uproot…

but when will it be

a time to plant again?

There is a time to tear down…

but when will it be

a time to build again?

There is a time to scatter stones…

but when will it be

a time to gather them again?