Converging Paths

Last night, part of me was thinking I might be carried off by a tornado. The night sky I was driving into wasn't just storming. It had a smattering of that crazy, hazy yellow along with dark, menacing clouds that made me think of "The Wizard of Oz." The radio station would occasionally pause to warn of weather that could form into tornadoes passing from Marshall county's southwest corner to its northeast corner. Our paths were converging.

So as I was driving, I:

1) continued to listen to music, but turned it down on occasion so I could catch any possible strange noises that might clue me in on an approaching tornado.

2) looked around me for funnel clouds that might start to form.

3) made sure there were other people on the road, too. (The fail-safe "if everyone else is doing it, it must be okay" thought.)

4) prayed that God would keep me safe and I would know what to do if something happened.

5) told myself that if I saw a funnel cloud approaching me, I would pull over (hopefully by an empty field with little around me) and lie down in a ditch (making sure to take my purse with me but leaving my sweater in the car so it might avoid possible damage... me and my sweaters).

6) pictured scenes from the movie "Twister."

No, I'm not completely crazy. I have lived in Indiana all my life, so the thought of tornadoes doesn't freak me out. But when there's the possibility of their formation, I'm normally in my house with family, not driving on a road alone.

And then my brother almost hit a deer last night on his way home from work...

Waiting in Expectation

The last poll's results show that we all feel we really need to talk with God a lot more. On one hand it is sad we feel this way, but at the same time, we're being honest. And no matter how closely we are walking with God, we've never really "made it." We can and should be confident that we will spend eternity in heaven if we have accepted Jesus Christ as the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. But we can never say, "Okay, I've done ____ so far. God doesn't expect anything else from me."

This is a reminder--for me and for you. Let's not rely on those around us, our routines, and our plans. We're bound to have routines, it's good to plan, and we should appreciate those around us; but let's not leave God out of the picture.

We need to really go to Him. However often or long we spend in His presence, let's confess to Him sins we've let come between us, thank Him and praise Him, pour out our concerns at His feet, and also... Listen for Him. Let's not just ramble without asking for guidance, without truly looking for what He's telling us.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (Psalm 5:3)

In the next life...

Today, it came to me. In the next life, when I'm in heaven, I'll be playing driving piano parts like Paul McCartney. Not that I deserve such a change, but if some of our activities are "dreams," then that's one of my activities.