I Prefer My Chaos to Be Less Tornadic

My daughter, Kyla shown here living out her baptism
as we worked in Moore after their latest tornado.

In May of 2011, we were very thankful for the new storm shelter the church had put in the garage floor of the parsonage. As we huddled with the kids and the dog and a few belongings, we emerged unscathed and it seemed that our community had averted disaster.

When I went to check on the church, I was thankful that it was okay.

As I drove further north, I began to realize that not everyone made it out so easily.  When I got to our lay leader's home, I saw that most of it was gone.  I found Jim and Judy both healthy but very shaken up.  Most of their home was gone and we were walking through their possessions.


We found one of their horses in the creek and had a difficult time getting it up a muddy bank and around the fallen trees. When we finally did, it felt like asserting some order to all the chaos they had experienced.

I tried to give them some reassurance through all that they had lost.  I don't even remember what I said but I was doing my best to be pastoral.

Jim responded with a true sense of faith when he said, "Sam, at the end of the day, it's all just stuff."

I felt like they were going to be okay, freeing me up to go forward and check on others.

How do we handle life in the midst of chaos?

How can we find order when all seems to be falling down around us?

I believe that our faith is reminding us that we will get through all of the dangers, toils and snares.  It may be difficult to believe but hope is a powerful thing.

The sign of this hope comes in our baptism.

The water washes away the past and the hurt and marks us as chosen by God.

This Sunday marks the Baptism of the Lord in the church calendar.  It is a powerful reminder of the love and grace of God in our lives.  It gives good perspective about what is truly important and what is finally just stuff.

In Christ,

Sam