We Win!

Behold, I will create a new heavens and a new earth.  Isaiah 65:17

In the novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, author C.S. Lewis described the curse as "always winter and never Christmas."  We live in a fallen world which is enslaved by sin and corruption and cannot be improved.  This may sound depressing, but for Christians, we must realize that improvement is not what is needed, instead we should long for “re-creation.”  This re-created world is hard to fathom as it will be the exact opposite-"always spring and never Good Friday."

As a believer, this is exciting to me and something that I wish I could cling to more on the days when life seems to be getting the best of me.  We could all stand to live with the celebration and joy of what's coming with the promises of God's kingdom.

If this weren't possible, it wouldn't make sense that Jesus told His disciples to be joyful even when they were facing difficult trials and tribulations. 

Jesus knows the end of the story and He wants us to know it too-we win!  Not only does He want us to know it, but He wants us to live every day knowing that it is real.

Praise be to God!

Water In The Sky

You will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day.  (Psalm 91:5)

I was able to attend my 35^th Phish show on Wednesday night this week in Alpharetta, GA and it was one to remember!  A good friend and co-worker from Albany, GA had an extra ticket, so we were able to hang out with each other in addition to both of us running into some old friends that neither of us had seen in quite some time. 

On the way into the show, the sky darkened and one of the most violent thunderstorms  broke as the large crowd of concertgoers made their way into the Verizon Amphitheater.  The first storm cell left the area before show time and Phish took the stage.  All was well until sometime in the middle of the first set during bassist Mike Gordon’s “Mound” when the thunder and lightning returned with even harder wind and rain.  A first for me was seeing the band end a song abruptly and having to clear the stage until the storm passed.  This was quite frightening for everyone, considering that we were outdoors and we were surrounded by metal….

After a 49 minute break, Phish came back and picked up where they left off and they absolutely rocked Alpharetta, but seeing the destruction that the recent storms in Southeast caused surely kept most folks concerned about the weather the duration of the evening.

Many people  are scared of storms or even being alone in an empty house at night time.  It’s when we are our most vulnerable.  We can all be assured that our Lord watches over us day or night, storms or beautiful weather.  He never slumbers and is always watching over each one of His beloved children.

Despite being concerned, I felt peace that the storms would pass during the show and they eventually did.  It was a great time, but I am certainly glad to know that our Lord is always watching over us!