Just this past week, we officially transitioned into autumn! Are you ready for change? Recently, Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc on the Eastern USA coast, in States such as North and South Carolina. Residents there have been through many a storm and storm warnings. Storms are a part of life. Someone has said that we are either coming out of a storm, currently in a storm, or will be going into a storm shortly. The question is: where are we right now? No one is exempt from the storms of life. But just as the disciples who initially feared the storm later came to revere Christ more, so the storms we face can bring us to a deeper knowledge of God. “’Who is this,’ the disciples pondered, ‘even the wind and the waves obey him!’” (Matthew 8:27). Through our trials we can learn that no storm is big enough to prevent God from accomplishing His will (Mark 5:1). Big storms can roll in fast, suddenly turning blue sky days dark with worry. It can happen with one brief conversation, a diagnosis, an accident, or some other life-altering occurrence. And we’re left, with swirling thoughts, wondering how we didn’t even see it coming. It often hits us hard, leaving us flat. We can’t stop the storms from happening, but we can know where to run… for cover. While we may not understand why God allows trials to enter our lives, we can thank Him that through them we can come to know who He is. We live to serve Him because He has preserved our lives. The storms of life prove the strength of our Anchor.

It is the last long weekend of the summer! There are so many things that you could have done for the last long weekend of the summer – family BBQing, picnicking, hiking; going on a road trip, grabbing a last minute flight; doing an end-of season clean up, going back to school shopping, and preparing for the weather as it gets colder. With so much to do and so many distractions in the world around us, how can we keep focused on Heavenly things? A few ways we can try include: making Him a priority perhaps by making time for Him first thing in the morning, developing a habit of constant prayer, and asking God to remind us of His unconditional, constant love for us. It’s important for us to know that even when we forget God, He never forgets us! He knows what’s happening to us every moment of the day, and He also watches over us all the time. Make time for Him, rely and call on Him, and pray to Him, and He will always be there ready to answer. The answers may not be what we always want, but God has a plan for us and knows the whole story for start to finish, as we’re reminded in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Blessings to you this long weekend!

It was an exciting week –our sanctuary was transformed into a stage of water, suitcases, rocks, and more! The theme for our VBS kids was “Shipwrecked… Rescued by Jesus!” As adults, we too can learn something from this lesson. Has there been a time when you felt alone or worried? The weight of the world around us feels overwhelming at times. Have you struggled with something – perhaps correcting a bad habit or a solution to a difficult situation? Have you done wrong to yourself or to others and needed to find a way to correct it? Has there been a time you felt so powerless, helpless of things beyond your control? Isaiah 41:10 says, “’Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” If we ever feel “shipwrecked” by all that life throws at us, we have the confidence that we can always lean on our Savior, for Jesus is our great Rescuer, and He strengthen us.