What a difference a day makes...

After returning home from San Antonio on Sunday...I made the journey to work on Monday...that night as I got ready to leave the office I looked to the west near the Joshua tree I call it and usually think of my "nephew" Josh...who I later spoke to and said that storms as this are common in Afghanistan...

But this night when I looked there were these clouds that were beginning to build--brought the word tornado to mind...they began building in the distance and so I pulled out towards the tree and began snapping pictures.    I was awestruck of this storm building off in the western sky...yet it had such an eeriness to it...that it contained nothing good in it!  It just kept building and building on itself...much like "storms" will do...

As I head towards home thinking I would just get away from it (probably one of my ways of coping)...I look in my rear view mirror and again had to stop and take a few pics before I topped the hill even though I could see it was coming towards me.   On my way over the hill there is a Virginia vehicle that was going very slowly and I had passed him and seen a laptop opened and so I wonder--is he a storm chaser or something?   However, he sees me pulled over and so he stops as well and gets out with a camera...and comes towards me so I hop in my truck thinking that I can just drive off should he be someone that I wasn't sure about.  But he asks in somewhat broken English, "Can I see if I drive through that?"..."that" would be what we see in the pic below...to which I reply I wouldn't think so and he explains he needs on the other side of "that".   Isn't "THAT" how it is sometimes...we do not want to go through the storm...through "THAT" we just want to be where we are going!!!

Anyway...What a frightening site to see as this seemed to keep growing and coming towards us.   I headed off in my truck and upon the advice of the shepherd who was at home with little visibility I stopped off in Ordway and hung out with the Great Grand Pfeiffs...Thankful for shelter from the storm.   And yes the storm passed...followed by a beautiful sunset!  By the time I got home and snapped it..I did not give it justice...but such a calm after the storm...as compared to one little Firecracker who told me the other day...the storm before the calm...that would be right before she fell asleep...

And so yesterday...reflecting on the day before...I read Isaiah 26:3 in my morning readings:

"You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You."

 

And thinking of the drought I write...

 

Perfect peace...the drought comes to mind.  Not only for the dry barren land but also our dry barren soul's...Refresh us Lord and bring us rains...Rains for our lands...Rains for our souls...Inspire and lead us unto that you have...

 

Thy will be done...Give us this day our daily bread...And I think of manna from Heaven...God has provided...Let me look to the heaven's with thankfulness...and there it is Thanksgiving...Father God we praise Thee in our lowly station that we might follow You and do great and might things that only You can allow! 

 

I close this and then I read Isaiah 26:4-6...

 

Trust in the Lord forever,
For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
⁵ For He brings down those who dwell on high,
The lofty city;
He lays it low,
He lays it low to the ground,
He brings it down to the dust.
⁶ The foot shall tread it down—
The feet of the poor
And the steps of the needy.”

 

WOW!  As I think of our lowly station and then these words shared...And this morning I awaken not feeling top notch (I blame it on sinus from the dust) but there is moisture in the air...I step out my kitchen door and breath in the moisture of the cool morning and listening to the sounds of light rain falling...and I think it is well...and sometimes in the midst of storms...God gives us a day of refreshment...and for that I am thankful...as this is the southern view today...and it is moisture...an answered prayer...refreshment!

 

 

lyp