I CAN REMEMBER ONE TIME I WAS RUNNING LATE FOR WORK AS USUAL, AND IT SEEMED THAT EVERYTHING WAS GOING WRONG. I RUSHED OUT THE DOOR AND GOT TO MY TRUCK, PULLED OUT MY KEYS AND WHAT HAPPENED? I DROPPED THEM OF COURSE, I ESTIMATED IT TOOK ABOUT 20 SECONDS TO FIND THEM WHICH DON'T SEEM LIKE A LOT OF TIME BUT IN MY FRUSTRATION IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER. WHAT ELSE! I EXCLAIMED. THEN I DIRECTED A SHORT PRAYERFUL QUESTION TO GOD, WHY???
AS I DROVE TO WORK THAT DAY I TURNED ONTO A 4 LANE HIGHWAY AND WHAT DID I SEE? ABOUT 20 SECONDS IN FRONT OF ME A CAR CROSSES THE MIDIAN AND COMES ACROSS BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC. IF I HAD BEEN JUST A LITTLE QUICKER HE WOULD HAVE SURELY HIT ME. THE THOUGHT IMMEDIATELY CAME TO MY MIND, "YOU ASKED WHY"
I REMEMBER ANOTHER SIMULAR EXPERIENCE ON A SNOWY NIGHT AS I WAS CALLED INTO WORK, ALMOST THE SAME SITUATION. IN FACT, I REMEMBER SEVERAL OTHER TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED. SOMETIMES WE FAIL TO LOOK FOR GOD IN THE ADVERSE SITUATIONS OF LIFE THE "STORMS" BOTH BIG AND SMALL. BUT HE IS THERE, HE IS IN CONTROL. HE'S IN THE MIDST OF OUR "STORMS" AND HE WILL MAKE HIS PRESENCE KNOWN IF WE WILL LOOK FOR HIM, HE WILL WORK HIS PURPOSE, FOR OUR GOOD AND HIS GLORY, BUT MANY TIMES INSTEAD OF SEEKING HIM WE FOCUS ON THE STORM.
I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME REALLY HEARTBREAKING "STORMS" AND SOME SMALL "STORMS" AND EVERYTIME I HAVE EARNESTLY LOOKED, I HAVE SEEN GOD AT WORK IN MY LIFE THROUGH THE ADVERSE SITUATION. IT HAS NEVER FAILED.
MANY TIMES YOU ARE FACINATED BY THOSE THINGS WHICH YOU ARE MOST AFRAID OF, FOR INSTANCE I LOVE TO WATCH T.V. SHOWS ON SNAKES, SPIDERS AND STORMS, ESPECIALLY TORNADOES. MANY OF THE STORIES WHICH STICK OUT IN MY MIND ARE THE ONES MY MOM TOLD ME OF TORNADOES AND THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE STORMS. MANY OF THEM FOCUSED ON WAYS GOD REVEALED HIMSELF IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM.'
IN GAINESVILLE GEORGIA IN THE SPRING OF 74 I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE . I REMEMBER THE TEACHERS GETTING ALL OF US STUDENTS TOGETHER AND TAKING US TO THE BASEMENT OF THE SCHOOL AS A TORNADO WARNING WENT OFF. THE TEACHERS STOOD AT THE DOOR AND WATCHED AS THEY COULD SEE IT IN THE DISTANCE. IT WAS DURING THIS TORNADO THAT MY AUNT WAS ALMOST BLOWN INTO LAKE LANIER, ENDING UP ONLY A FEW FEET FROM IT, UNDER ONE OF THE DOORS FROM HER HOME, HURT, BUT ALIVE. BUT OUT OF THIS TORNADO CAME SOME INTERESTING STORIES.
FIRST OF ALL, A MAN WHO LIVED ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY AUNT WAS HAVING A HARD TIME IN HIS LIFE, AND BECAUSE OF HIS PERSONAL "STORMS" BEGAN TO DOUBT GOD. AS HE LOOKED OUT OF HIS KITCHEN WINDOW ONE DAY JUST BEFORE THE TORNADO CAME, INTO HIS BACK YARD HE EXCLAIMED "GOD IF YOUR REAL WHY DON'T YOU JUST APPEAR RIGHT THERE IN THAT SPOT" HE LATER SAID WHEN THE TORNADO CAME IT WAS IF IT PAUSED IN THAT VERY SPOT.
THERE WAS ALSO THE HOUSE WHICH WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED EXCEPT FOR A RECORD PLAYER, COMPLETELY UNHURT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR OF A CLEANED OFF FOUNDATION, WITH THE RECORD STILL ON IT, THE RECORD WHICH HAD BEEN PLAYING WHEN THE TORNADO HIT........."HOW GREAT THOU ART"
THEN THERE WAS THE PICTURE OF CHRIST ON A WALL WITH HIS OUTSTREACHED HANDS, THE TORNADO BLEW SPLINTERS OF WOOD INTO HIS BROW, AND TWO NAILS, ONE IN EACH OF HIS HANDS!
THEN I THINK OF THE TORNADO OF 98 WHICH STRUCK NORTH HALL COUNTY AND WHITE COUNTY. IT IS A TORNADO WHICH WILL STICK OUT IN MY MEMORY FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS, FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE WORKING FOR THE COUNTY, WE WERE SOME OF THE FIRST ONES INTO SOME OF THE DAMAGED AREAS, CLEARING TREES AND IN SOME CASES UNCOVERING BODIES OF THE DECEASED FROM OUT OF THE DEBRIS, AND BURYING MULTITUDES OF DEAD LIVESTOCK. I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW LONG IT TOOK TO HAUL OFF ALL THE DEBRIS OF THE HOMES, AND HAUL OFF AND BURN ALL THE TREES BUT I THINK IT TOOK AT LEAST SIX WEEKS OF WORKING EVERY DAY. BUT THE MAIN REASON THIS MEMORY STICKS OUT IS THAT THIS WAS WHEN I GOT OVER MY FEAR OF TORNADOES. IT WAS NOTHING I CAN TAKE CREDIT FOR AND YES IT'S NATURAL TO HAVE A LITTLE FEAR BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN TROUBLED AGAIN WITH MY "EXTREME PHOBIA" AS BEFORE..
THAT MORNING I WOKE UP AND I HEARD THE RAIN, SAW A LITTLE LIGHTNING. THERE WAS NOTHING TO REALLY LET ME KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING ONLY A MILE AWAY. BUT FOR SOME REASON I KNEW, I FELT IT. IT WAS ALMOST AS IF I COULD HEAR A ROAR IN THE FAR DISTANCE BUT THE THOUGHT CAME TO ME, IT'S A TORNADO. FEAR GRIPPED ME AND I BEGAN TO PRAY, AS I PRAYED, IT SEEMED THE LORD SPOKE TO ME AND TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING TO FEAR FOR HE WAS WITH ME, AN UNUSUAL PEACE, A PEACE WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING CAME OVER ME AND I WAS NO LONGER AFRAID. I CONTINUED TO GET DRESSED FOR WORK WITH THIS NEW PEACE IN MY HEART. I KNEW THERE HAD BEEN A TORNADO AND I NEEDED TO GET TO WORK AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE AND AS I GOT INTO MY CAR AND TURNED ON THE RADIO IT WAS ALL CONFIRMED. AFTER GETTING TO WORK AND HEADING TO OUR FIRST CALL, WE WORKED OUR WAY, CUTTING TREES AS WE WENT TO CLEAR THE ROADWAY THROUGH THE PATH OF THE TWISTER. WE CAME TO A ROAD WITH A HILL NEXT TO IT, AT ONE TIME 3 MOBLE HOMES SAT ON THAT HILL, THEY WERE NO MORE.
THEN MY MIND WENT BACK TO A TIME, JUST 8 YEARS EARLIER WHEN ME AND MY WIFE HAD FIRST MARRIED. MY SISTER KNEW A LADY WHO WAS SELLING ONE OF THE MOBLE HOMES FOR A GREAT PRICE AND WE HAD SET UP A TIME TO MEET. BUT WE COULDN'T FIND THE PLACE AND WE WERE LATE, WHEN WE FOUND IT THERE WAS NO ONE THERE, WE LOOKED AT IT AND LOVED IT! IT WAS PERFECT. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL VIEW ON TOP OF THAT HILL AND WE COULD SEE INSIDE IT THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND NO DOUBT BECAUSE OF THE GREAT PRICE WE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT. WE WAITED FOR THE OWNER BUT SHE NEVER CAME SO WE CALLED MY SISTER WHO CALLED HER. SHE SAID SHE WAS VERY UPSET BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SHOW UP (WE WERE JUST LATE) AND SHE SAID WE JUST MISSED OUR CHANCE.! IT MADE ME MAD AND I SAID I WOULDN'T BUY IT FROM HER NOW IF SHE OFFERED IT TO ME FOR 1$!!! OF COURSE AT THE TIME I WASN'T LOOKING FOR GOD IN THE SITUATION AND BECAUSE I WASN'T LOOKING I NEVER SAW HIM.......UNTIL THAT MORNING, LOOKING UP AT THE BAREN HILL AND THINKING WHERE ME AND MY FAMILY WOULD HAVE BEEN AT 6:05 THAT MORNING, ME, IN THE SHOWER, MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER SOUND ASLEEP IN BED. NO DOUBT, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE PERSON WHO LIVED THERE SURVIVED BECAUSE HE GOT A PHONE CALL FROM HIS MOTHER WHO HAD BEEN THROUGH THE TORNADO A FEW MINUTES EARLIER A FEW MILES AWAY AND HE HAD THE CHANCE TO GET HIS FAMILY TO SAFTEY IN THE BASEMENT OF A NEIGHBORS HOUSE. WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THAT CHANCE.