Roy’s Ramblings

WOW!!! What a line of thunderstorms last night. Thunder, lightning, wind, rain the whole entourage of destructive forces flowing across the landscape. And we here in the Nashville area were fairly lucky. A few downed trees and a power blip or two. Others in the nearby areas had tornados, hail, and localized flooding.

I saw on early morning news that there are already crews on the scenes, helping the victims, clearing debris, offering help/hope/love … being the hands of God. In one clip, I even saw a relief crew wearing shirts with the UM Logo working side by side with all of those who are paid to head into danger when everyone else is running away.

So this has me thinking this morning … what storms do we have in our lives where we need help? Last night at the Lenten Bible Study, we talked about the marginalized, the outcasts, the people in society that society rejects. (The discussion was based on Mark 5 – The Gerasene Demoniac) Every single one of us has felt shunned at some point in our lives for some reason of another. School, work, family … church. Wherever there are humans; there are going to be some that feel superior and try to make others feel less. Jesus ministered to the “least of these” and as we follow his example – we are to reach out too. Fred Rodgers, in his kids TV show, once said that whenever there are dangerous situations – whenever harm is happening – always look for the helpers … there are always people offering help/hope/love.

So in the storms of life, actual physical ones like last night, or in the day to day storms that happen to each of us. Look for the helpers as well as be a helper. Help neighbor, help family, help complete strangers … all in the name of Jesus.

Bless You All – Pastor Roy