Praise You In This Storm

Last night we presented to our church council something that's really been on our hearts these past few months. We are looking at ways of making our church website come alive for our community, through blogs such as this, only within the framework of a church, as a way of bringing us all a little closer to one another.
Now today, I'm sitting here looking at the people affected by this tremendous storm that we had last night...
Just from the people at the meeting we had last night,
Pat McClanahan had his home flooded.
Dale Moeller drove into a flood-swept gorge in the road.
Myself, studio and home.
Just these that we know of so far...
I'm curious if there's anyone else in the church being affected by this.
All morning and now into the afternoon, it's been one arrow after another, since I opened my eyes until now.
First our basement had water, then the studio. Then I found all of the damage in the electronics at the studio. Then my insurance guy called to tell me that none of this is covered. See, Brandon just isn't in a flood plain and it's silly to get a policy like that. Now, if it were a fire or if a pipe burst, this would all be taken care of, but not in this case.
As I'm unplugging my electronics from the wall, water is coming out of the outlets, and I'm thinking there is NO WAY I'm going to plug something back into that outlet, and then just cross my fingers in the hopes that nothing shorts out inside the wall that isn't going to LEAD to a fire, that would, by the way, be covered. Isn't it ironic?
Then as the morning went on I began hearing of the others, Pat, Dale….and if there's one thing I've learned of Satan, it's that he has a knack for timing. He knows when God's people are moving in God's name, and when we're feeling attacked on all sides, it usually just means that we're right where Christ wants us, which for the enemy means that we are standing in his way.
I'm left with gnawing questions.
Maybe we were really onto something last night as we presented to council some of the ideas of enhancing our website to further the kingdom of God? Maybe Satan was eavesdropping on our little meeting, and this is nothing more than spiritual warfare, a carefully calculated plan of attack, just to try and knock us down? Maybe this is just the part of the battle that we CAN see, the tangible by-product of this war for souls…
It's interesting, the song we were just practicing last night for worship, before the council meeting, had this verse about holding onto Christ through the storms in life:
"I lift my eyes unto the hills,
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
The Maker of Heaven and Earth!"

Do you know who has graced the doorstep of my studio today?
Not the insurance man, no.
Members of my church. Brothers and Sisters.
Frank Walker stepped in asking what he could do to help.
Heather Babb came over in her PAJAMAS with a shop vac, and took Abby with her for a couple of hours while we sopped up the mess.
Kristen McMartin rushed in as soon as she heard.
My 6 year old boy took another shop vac in his hands and worked that floor until he just flat gave out!

The hands and the feet of Christ!

"Where does our help come from?
The Maker of Heaven and Earth!"

This is all just stuff. Casualties of what the enemy can touch, and pure evidence of what he can't lay a finger on! The Spirit of Jesus Christ, alive and well in His people. Consider it pure joy in times and trial. The Maker of Heaven and Earth is on your team. Here with us. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
:)
In the words of an ex-marine that I know…."Hooya!"