INTHEMIDSTOFTHESTORM2

IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM CONTINUED

IN THAT SAME TORNADO OF 98 THERE WAS THE STORY OF A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED RODNEY. HE WAS A LITTLE YOUNGER THAN ME AND HAD BEEN CALLED TO PREACH. HE HAD A YOUNG FAMILY AND A NEW HOME WHICH WAS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO. HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE MEMBERS OF MY SISTER BECKY'S CHURCH SO I HAD HEARD NEWS OF HIM FROM TIME TO TIME BUT HADN'T SEEN HIM FOR A WHILE UNTIL WE ENDED UP ON HIS ROAD CLEARING DEBRIS. I SAW HIM STANDING THERE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GOT OUT OF MY TRUCK AND WENT OVER TO HIM AND HE TOLD ME THE STORY OF HOW THE TORNADO HAD HIT HIS HOUSE, COMPLETELY LEVELING IT AND TROWING HIM AND HIS FAMILY INTO THE FEILD IN THE BACK OF THE HOUSE WITH NO MAJOR INJURIES. WE TALKED OF GOD'S PURPOSES AND HOW MANY TIMES WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE THINGS WE GO THROUGH AND I TOLD HIM THOUGH WE MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT GOD IS DOING, HE IS IN CONTROL AND IS WORKING FOR OUR GOOD AND HIS GLORY. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I SAW HIM IN A CANTEEN THAT THE SALVATION ARMY HAD SET UP TO FEED THOSE WHO HAD BEEN AFFECTED BY THE STORM AND FOR THE WORKERS. THERE HE TOLD ME OF AN AMAZING STORY, IN THE DAYS SINCE WE LAST SPOKE HE HAD TALKED TO MANY PEOPLE WHO WERE LOOKING OVER THE DAMAGE, NEWS PEOPLE, INSURANCE PEOPLE, WORKERS, VOLENTEERS, AID WORKERS AND JUST GENERAL COURIOUS PEOPLE. MANY WERE AMAZED THAT HE AND HIS FAMILY HAD SURVIVED AND THAT THEIR SPIRITS WERE AS THEY WERE. THIS GAVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE HIS TESTIMONY TO THEM AND EVEN THE CHANCE TO LEAD AT LEAST FIVE OF THEM TO CHRIST IN FRONT OF WHAT HAD AT ONE TIME BEEN HIS HOME!!! WHAT IS THE WORTH OF ONE SOUL? WHAT IS THE WORTH OF FIVE? IN GODS EYES............AGAIN GOD HAD WORKED IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM AND BECAUSE WE HAD LOOKED, WE SAW HIM. MAYBE WE DIDN'T SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE, FOR NO DOUBT THERE WAS MUCH ACCOMPLISHED THAT WE DID NOT KNOW, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE A PART OF HIS GREAT PLAN BECAUSE WE FOCUSED NOT ON THE DAMAGE, OR THE LOSS BUT ON GOD.
ONE STORY MY MOM TOLD ME THAT ALWAYS STUCK IN MY MIND WAS OF MY GRANDFATHER, MARVIN CRUMLEY AND THE TORNADO OF 1936. THE GAINESVILLE GEORGIA TORNADO OF 1936 WAS ON OF THE DEADLIEST TORNADOES IN AMERICAN HISTORY KILLING OVER 200 PEOPLE AND DOING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE. ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE A LOT OF LIVES WERE LOST WAS AT NEW HOLLAND MILL WHERE MY GRANDFATHER WORKED AT THE TIME. MY MOM TOLD ME OF HOW AS MY GRANDFATHER STARTED OF HIS WAY TO WORK, HE WENT TO HIS CAR AND TRIED TO START IT. THE SKY LOOKED FUNNY, THERE WAS DARK CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON, THE CAR WOULDN'T START. HE AND MY UNCLES TRIED AND TRIED TO START IT, BUT TO NO AVAIL, NOTHING THEY DID WORKED. THE CLOUDS BEGAN TO CLEAR AND MY GRANDFATHER HAD JUST ABOUT GIVEN UP ON GETTING THE CAR STARTED AND GETTING TO WORK. JUST ONCE MORE HE TURNED THE KEY, JUST TO TRY IT.......IT STARTED! THERE WAS NO T.V. AND THEY HADN'T BEEN LISTNING TO THE RADIO THAT MORNING SO THEY HAD NO IDEA OF THE DESTRUCTION WHICH HAD TAKEN PLACE IN GAINESVILLE THAT MORNING. WITH THE CAR STARTED, MY GRANDFATHER STARTED DOWN THE ROAD TOWARD WORK.
AS HE REACHED THE MILL AND SAW THE DESTRUCTION. HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE 5TH FLOOR, IN FACT, JUST ABOUT WHERE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN WORKING THAT MORNING THERE WAS HEAVY DAMAGE, WHERE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN HAD HIS CAR STARTED! HE CAME TO FIND OUT OF THE MANY CO-WORKERS WHO WORKED DIRECTLY AROUND HIM WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON THAT DAY IN APRIL OF 36. NO DOUBT, GOD WAS IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM, IN THE FRUSTRATION OF THAT MORNING, RUNNING LATE, HAVING TO WORK ON THE CAR, ETC...IT WAS ALL IN THE PURPOSE OF GOD!!
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE WENT THROUGH STORMS IN OUR LIVES? USUALLY OUR FIRST REACTION IS TO CRY OUT "WHY ME". WE GET MAD, WE SHAKE OUR FIST ACCUSING GOD OF BEING UNFAIR. IT'S SILLY, BUT ISN'T THAT HOW WE ARE?
THE BIBLE SAYS......
ROMANS 8:28 AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD, TO THEM WHO ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.
IT DOES NOT SAY SOME THINGS, OR MOST THINGS, BUT ALL THINGS. SOMETIMES WE CAN SEE HOW GOD IS WORKING IN THE SITUATIONS, SOMETIMES NOT, SOMETIMES IT IS MANY YEARS LATER, BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE, AS THE SONG SAYS, "WE'LL UNDERSTAND IT ALL BY AND BY" AND TRULY, ONE DAY WE WILL. WE SEE SITUATIONS WHICH WE IN OUR FLESHLY WAY OF THINKING SAY TO OURSELVES, THERE IS NO WAY ANYTHING GOOD CAN COME OF THIS BUT IT CAN, AND ACCORDING TO THE ETERNAL TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD, IT DOES!!! WE MUST LOOK FOR HIM IN THE STORMS AND MANY TIMES HE WILL ALLOW US A GLIMPSE OF HIS GLORY!

IF YOU CLICK THE LINKS BELOW THERE ARE MORE STORIES OF GOD IN THE MIST OF STORMS IN THE LIVES OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT I HAVE RECIEVED THROUGH EMAIL FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. ONE IS A STORY ABOUT 911 WHICH I RECIEVED FROM JIM KEELING WHICH IS REALLY TOUCHING. YOU CAN VISIT JIMS SITE BY GOING TO MY LINKS PAGE.
GOD BLESS YOU

STORIES OF GOD IN THE MIDST OF STORMS IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS

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