TREASURES OR TORNADOES? Have you ever been described as one or the
other? This week, again as a nation we
watched and were stunned. The mighty
force of two tornadoes struck with an unrivaled level of devastation in the
lives of the people in Moore, Oklahoma.
The effect is impossible to measure.
If you have viewed the before and after photos on the internet, you most
likely found yourself speechless – like me.
You most likely could not find adequate words to describe what your eyes
saw – like me. And that was only
photos. That could be us, standing by
our flattened homes, or grieving over the sudden loss of someone we love more than
we can say. What we can say is that
without a doubt, these people’s lives will never be the same. Those who know God personally will find their
strength in Him – and in this testing of their faith, they will discover how
ever-present and all-sufficient He is.
They will see His heart-prints turning the ashes into beauty, because
that’s the kind of God He is. Others
will blame God – because they do not know Him.
They do not understand His heart or His ways. They do not understand like His children do,
that sometimes the righteous suffer with the unrighteous. But because we run to Jesus for our shelter
and our comfort, we are carried and provided for. And because they curse Him and accuse Him,
they run here and there relentlessly in search of help and answers and
peace. Their search is futile; they come
up empty-handed and hard-hearted. I
think we need to take a fresh, hard look at which kind of a person we are. God tells us that “we have this treasure in
jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from
us.” (II Corinthians 4:7) Simply put, that means that while in
ourselves we may look as unassuming as a jar of clay, we have within us this
precious treasure of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our lives are really about the fact that
while we are insufficient, God’s complete sufficiency shows through us! Did you ever wonder how light shines out of
some object that contains its contents?
Or how fragrance is released from a bottle? Or how Christ shines most brightly and
powerfully through us? Every time we
encounter a storm and get tossed around and cracked, split, and broken a bit …
more of that Light shines out. The
tornadoes come, and we cry over the loss that tragedies bring into our lives. Spiritual attacks bring the same kind of
devastation to hearts as tornadoes do to the earth and everything in their
paths. That’s why those who do not know
Christ are left looking like “the walking dead.” There’s no Light in their clay jars. But then, take a look at these true-life devastations
in the lives of those who do know Christ. A homeless man stops by and asks where there
is a church so he can get help for his wife and children standing outside the
door. A young single mom slips into deep
depression because she has been terminated without warning from the job that
allowed her to feed her children and keep a roof over their heads. A family has been churchless for some time
because wherever they’ve gone, they’ve not felt unconditionally loved and
accepted. A mom and dad have cried more
tears than they’ve ever thought they had inside them over a teenage child who
is experiencing a tremendous pull from the world and the spiritual battle is
fierce. The heartaches are real, and with
each new heartbreak, we feel the rips and the tears. The cuts and the breaks in
our jars of clay are evident. We wonder
if we’ll hold together or if we’ll crumble apart from the onslaughts of the
enemy. At times we feel as if all that
remains of us are the splinters and the debris.
But wait! Can you see what’s
happening? The more we become vulnerable
and the more transparent we are to those around us about the tornadoes that
have swept over us, the more the treasure that is within us shows forth! The wattage of the Light inside us increases
with each deepening crack, and suddenly we wear our battle scars with pride and
joy, knowing that there was a heavenly purpose for each earthly hurt. And while we may never fully understand God’s
reason for it all now, we can be confident that He is not wasting our pain … He
is using it for His greater and perfect plan if we are willing to reveal the
treasures within. This week the entire
world watched the people of Moore, Oklahoma, and saw and heard countless
testimonies of God’s protection and miracles as they affirmed their faith in
the God they trust – no matter what comes!
You see, we CAN be treasures in the midst of tornadoes!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
OUR SPECIAL THANKS to the Graff family for the awesome sound
boards in the sanctuary! May you be
richly blessed!
MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDIES will resume in the Fall!
THIS SUNDAY, MAY 26:
10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE
MON, MAY 27:
Celebrate MEMORIAL DAY with your family and friends, honoring
those who have given so much and remembering loved ones gone on
before!
WED, MAY 29:
3:00 P.M. - RE;FUEL YOUTH with Pastor D / planning session
SAT, JUN 01:
9:00 A.M. - Barnabas Team Meeting at the church
NEXT SUNDAY, JUN 02:
10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE
ELEVATION
NORTH SPOTLIGHT!
WOMEN OF
FAITH ladies … we hope you are making plans now for the power-packed weekend that
awaits us on October 18-19 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul! The theme for 2013 is “Believe God Can Do
Anything!” You will experience “music
that moves, stories that strengthen, and teaching that transforms” – all pointing
to the power and love of Christ! This
life-changing, live Christian event is coming our way! Someone has paid for our tickets in advance at
last fall’s conference to obtain the biggest discount, and the deadline for
turning in our ticket money to her is by June 2nd. There were 18 tickets reserved for our church
ladies & friends at your request.
The cost for each ticket is $81 (a savings of $20 each!). See Debbie for details!
REMEMBER . .
. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~ John 16:33
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
