“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday”
Psalm 91:1-6
Every year around the same time they come with little warning. The weather men do what they can, but most of the time the tornados touchdown so quickly there’s simply not enough time to spread the word to the ones that need it the most. For those lucky enough to hear the sirens, the choices of where to hide always seem inadequate compared to the force of the destruction just seconds away. Afterward….after the pieces are put back together…as best as they can be… it’s no shocker that statistics show sales of storm shelters skyrocket as much as 60-70% in areas that have recently been hit. With such a surge in orders, crews often tell customers it will be almost a year before they can complete construction. When the storms come everyone seeks shelter…
Sadly this is how some people view The Church. The sun is out, work is going well, the kids are getting straight A’s, the bills are being paid, and we’ve never been happier. Why go to church when everything is going our way? Then someone has a bad day at work and then another. Things become a bit cloudy and skies begin to darken. Suddenly we have a prayer life where once God never heard from us. Each time they open the doors, we are there sitting in our pew praying for others….praying for God to help us through this tough situation.
Eventually things get better or we find other ways to cope like alcohol or drugs. Regardless of how it gets better, we don’t need God anymore. Things are back on the right track and for the first time in months we can see the light of day. Mission accomplished! Our storm shelter served its purpose.
Make no mistake; The Church is here for you in your time of need. Rarely is a request made that goes ignored nor is there a service we are not committed to. Through our community service and our mission work, each week there are countless hours spent by not just our preachers, but also by our devoted members, doing everything they can to help others. We open our doors and give rescue to those in need…but we must remember that The Church is not just a storm shelter here when you need us, only to be left empty to collect spider webs when you don’t. We have a much greater purpose. A purpose that Jesus clearly lays out in Matthew 28:19-20 “ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We love you. We are here for you. We will help provide for you. We miss you when you are not here no matter the weather outside.
-Bill Beck III
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