Dear Reader:

Each day I grow older I also grow deeper… in my thoughts about the world we live in. Yesterday was a case-in-point.

I slept later than I have in a long time. It was so refreshing! By the time I opened up my blog post for the day there were several comments waiting to be read.

Ambika’s comment was the first one and quite an interesting one at that….she was concerned about all her American internet friends and wanted to send an article by Max Lucado she had seen on Facebook.. I read the article and thought to myself…’Ambika finds this conversation on-line and forwards it to me to (pay it forward) to be a comfort for everyone in the path of Hurricane Irma.’

Here I am getting help from an internet friend I think of as family from Dubai about a storm affecting the United States. I never knew I would live long enough to see something like this transpire.

I am forwarding Ambika’s link to you….I will also summarize some key points that made me pause.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/09/08/max-lucado-hurricane-irma-is-coming-where-is-god.html

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“Hurricane Irma is coming. Where is God?” Max Lucado

Max Lucado calls on all of us to “Stand up and lift up…lift up prayers, lift up hope and lift up our hearts. God is above the storm.”

Using the analogy learned by the disciples (especially Peter) on the stormy Sea of Galilee, Lucado explains that Peter, as a veteran fisherman, knew better than anyone else what 10 ft. waves could do to small crowded boat…so he volunteers to leave the craft.

As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus he, too, rose above the waters, the wind, and the waves. It wasn’t until he lost eyes contact with Jesus and looked down at the wind and waves that he became afraid and started to sink.

While his eyes had been on Jesus…he did the “impossible.” It was only when he shifted his gaze from the face of Jesus to the force of the storm…that he sank.

If we are sinking…we are looking in the wrong direction.

“The storm is coming but God is with us. Look ahead and chart a path to safety. Look around and see who you can help. Look up to God who loves you. Trust in your future, and trust Him with your life.”

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In 2013 I went with John and Mandy to take Eva Cate to  Disney World for the first time. They wanted me to have the experience of seeing it through her little eyes. It was magical and brought back memories of going there with my own children when they were little.

My favorite ride…the water cruise through all the countries of the world (It’s a Small Small World) was made even more special watching Eva Cate’s eyes get wider and wider at all the costumes. *The best first time geography lesson for a child about the world in which he/she lives.

*If I ever go back to Disney World and ride in the “It’s a Small Small World” cruise boat… I will definitely look for India and find a little girl puppet to name Ambika…smiling to myself that I know how life has turned out for this young woman…whose family converted to Christianity and who then left India for Dubai and sends messages of well-being to all her blog and Facebook friends who are about to experience stormy weather.

So until tomorrow…Our world is growing smaller and smaller which gives us an opportunity to meet people we never would have before in the history of communication…allowing us the opportunity to let our hearts grow bigger and bigger…embracing a world of ‘Mr. Rogers’ global neighborhoods.’

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

P.S. Obviously as I write this blog on a late Saturday afternoon there is still no way to know how much bad weather we will get or feel…one of the first things to go during tropical storms typically around here…is the electricity. So if for any reason over the next couple of days there is no post…just realize that we probably lost power temporarily.As long as we have “juice” I will keep you updated on what we experience the next few days.

Tonight Clemson plays Auburn…my son-in-law John went to Auburn and is a big fan while Tommy, Walsh, and I are big Clemson fans. When Mandy called to ask me to come over for the family get-together to watch the game at their house I thought to myself… ‘Now I can gear up for one storm…but not two. I think I will watch it at home and take one less enthusiastic Clemson fan away from John’s home…What a wonderful host to do this each year that the two colleges play. Good luck to all and that’s all I am going to say!