Good day dear friends.
We thank you for your prayers. Carli arrived safely home from Granada, Spain almost on time! Her plane was delayed due to weather in London but she was on the right flight at the right time (not that there was ever any doubt! Okay, just a wee bit!) Thank you also for your prayers for my preaching at The Woodlands UMC in The Woodlands, Texas (north of that hamlet, Houston). The people there were very nice and I enjoyed visiting with my friend, Dr. Ed Robb, senior pastor of the church.
As we pray today please remember to lift up the Kingsbury family. Sally will be remembered today at 4 p.m. in New Braunfels at Oakwood Baptist Church. Please pray for her mom and dad, Leonard and Corrinda Mueller. This has been a most difficult time for them.
Devotional Thought:
Psalm 147:16 God gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?
We left for Galveston on Saturday afternoon. We left after hearing on Friday night the weather forecasters saying that by Monday night we would have freezing rain with the chance of snow on Tuesday! Now, most of you will remember that last year snow did come to Texas. It snowed on S. Padre Island, it snowed on Galveston island. It even snowed in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas where folks made snow angels and small snowmen. But do you remember where it did NOT snow? It did not snow here! Relatives in Houston and the Valley calling and emailing pictures of their snow days, folks here in San Marcos just smiling and grinning and saying, great, thanks, so glad to hear it... All the while thinking, where's our snow? Are we that sinful that God chose to leave us out of the snow storm? Right now most of us are saying forget snow, how about some rain?
Now I like snow. It's good to see for the first time and enjoy all that it brings, but I've lived in Denver where after a day snow loses its appeal. I remember that first snow where it actually stayed on the ground and I remember thinking this is great, I need to drive around all of Denver to see what it looks like. I got in my little four speed manual transmission powered car and decided to take a look around Denver. I drove from my apartment high atop a hill down to the first four-way stop. I thought this is so pretty! And as I'm about five yards from the stop sign applied by brakes. Now when it snows there's usually a slick surface to the streets which would be ice. And when you're doing down hill it's a good idea to start applying your brakes high atop the hill and pray that no one is at the four way stop thinking they have the right of way. I thank God no one was there to hit nor to see my small car make its way up someone's lawn. Thank God that lawn stopped the Texas-licensed plated car! Did I learn my lesson? Of course not! I wasn't married then. I didn't have the luxury of an experienced commentator reminding me of how to drive (and I do appreciate that very much, dear!) I decided it might be safer to drive on Interstate 25. So up the entrance ramp I go and I notice not too many folks taking advantage of this wonderful snow weather! Where is everyone? Don't they like snow too? Their loss, I thought! Well as this Texan approached the first overpass, the car decides to turn the Mazda into the Mad Tea Cup ride at DisneyWorld. I spun around about four or five times on that bridge and all without hitting the guardrail or falling off the bridge. Did I learn then? Yes, thank God. I said, I now know where everyone is. They're in the warmth and comfort of their own home, enjoying the snow from their window.
God is an awesome God. God has all power in all things even in nature. We sometimes don't understand how and why God works in some things but all the more reason to trust Him more. We need to realize that when we come up against something as powerful as nature we are limited beings whose trust and hope is in God and not in ourselves.
PRAYER: Thank you dear God for the gift of this precious day. Thank you for the wonderful blessings that are ours that have come from Your loving hand. Help us to enjoy this day just as it is. We do pray that those dependent on rain would find soon a relief and solution to that which they face. We pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
