The blog I was going to write will have to wait until next week. Yesterday was quite the morning! I experienced the joy of teaching “Christians That Changed the World, and How You Can, Too” to a wonderful Sunday School class. The excitement of opening our new addition at church was in the air as the first service was standing room only! Then, the storm hit. For those readers that aren’t in Central Illinois, we had an unseasonably warm day—the high was 70 degrees—and then had the worst storm to hit our area in several years. Multiple tornados touched down across the area. We were still at church when the tornado sirens went off.

It wasn’t until after the next service that we started getting reports of damage to the area. Whole neighborhoods have been flattened. Several hundred houses around Central Illinois have been damaged or destroyed. Three of our teachers in my schools were directly impacted. I pray for those injured by these tornados. I am thankful that given the images I have seen of the damage that there were not more casualties. Our house had no damage and power was restored around midnight for our neighborhood.

Life is so fragile. The devastation in the Philippines is another example. Natural disasters have a way of reminding me of just how much I need to rely on God because He is strong and I am weak.
Thankfully, Jesus tells us what we don’t have to be afraid of the fragility of life. In Matthew 10:28-31 He says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

I am so thankful for my faith. I know those who are reading this are thankful also. We need to get this message out to our friends, neighbors, and family who are still looking for answers during the fragile times we face.

I pray that this week we will all have the opportunity to share with someone else this week the hope that is within us.

More to come…
Jeremy