Finish The Drill
Hello everyone! Thanks so much for taking some of your valuable time to check in with this Tire Builder’s Kid and check out my latest blog entry. I haven’t put anything out for a couple months or so now and frankly I’ve struggled with what to write about. I felt like I hit a wall and every time I sat down to write I just couldn’t come up with anything I thought was interesting enough. You must be a “writer” to have “writer’s block” right? I just thought I would wait for some inspiration and then things would begin to flow once again. Well…… my latest trip to Jamaica in late October took care of that! I’ve got material for months! Folks, I’ve got stories. This one is going to be a long one.
In the past two or three months leading up to the trip I had been searching and drifting some. I’ve done a lot of traveling looking to beat the feeling of loneliness. I’m just bad at being alone, I guess. When the walls close in on me, I plan a trip and head for Delta to fly to me somewhere exciting. This is a very self-focused form of therapy, but it was getting the job done for yours truly.
The world and national news and the constant political propaganda stress me and just dealing with my fellow man most days in the streets and around town just makes me shake my head a lot. I get the feeling that caring about each other has dropped like an anchor off the side of the boat. It just has this feeling that we are all out for ourselves. Don’t you really notice when you see someone doing something selfless for a fellow human being? I know it warms my heart to see others care for someone other than themselves and strive to a part of something bigger than themselves.
As I was sitting on those planes or driving around in vehicles it gave me a lot of time to think (dangerous for us over thinkers!). As someone with ADD and OCD tendencies my mind can go all over the place and can go to some unexpected places. One day I was thinking about when I was a kid and what lessons my dad taught me that had stayed with me. One of the things was “Finish What You Start” or as he would so eloquently state it, don’t “Half-Ass” something Mark. This type of thinking was also reinforced by many football and baseball coaches and the folks I reported to during my professional career… Finish The Drill! Set yourself apart from being mediocre by doing all things with excellence, which also means not quitting until the job is finished. Check and double check so that what you end up with is not only your best but better than your competitors.
My misty memory from days of yore recalled a day at football practice when we were learning some new plays on offense. The play was going away from me, and my responsibility was blocking the backside of the play which meant making sure that no one would run our back down away from the play. It was boring and at the time I felt like it was unnecessary. I quickly found out that the coaches were watching me to see if I was doing my job fully. On one play that we were running for the twentieth time in a row, I heard FINISH THE DRILL RUTLEDGE from Coach McLain as I half-assed my way through the play. For some reason that has stuck with me all these years and I have tried to have a Finish The Drill mind set thereafter. I felt like I was letting the team down by not doing my part and sticking with it fully.
Cool story, Rutmachine but what does that have to do with anything buddy boy?
Stick with me a little longer, it does fit into today’s story.
But First… A Joke:
A guy went to a dentist to have some cavities worked on. His regular dentist was on vacation, so he had to settle for the dentist that was filling in…. FILLING IN!!
Bonus Dad Joke:
Patient: Doctor, will I live a long time?
Doctor: I think you’ll live to be 60.
Patient: But I am 60!
Doctor: See.
A Verse to Contemplate:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
The wind blows, the rain falls, but our faith stands firm - Matthew 7:25
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love - Romans 12:10 (NASB)
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me! - Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
Have I Told You This One?
I was fortunate enough to be on a Tres Dias team that was going to Trelawny, Jamacia (about an hour outside on Montego Bay) from October 22nd until October 27th. I had been a part of two previous trips to Jamaica this year and was looking forward to going again. I have developed many friendships over the nearly twenty years I have going down there to serve with an American and Jamaican team of brothers on a weekend conference/retreat that builds new leaders all over the island country.
Prior to going down and serving we gather about three months prior and have team meetings to practice and prepare and to make sure we have everything we need to put on a successful weekend. This weekend I was assigned to head up the prayer team. Our responsibility was to pray for the team members, their families, the guys coming to the weekend for the first time, their families and a host of other things that might come up. The goal is to have every second of the weekend covered by prayer.
As the weekend was fast approaching, we became aware that there was a tropical storm forming in the Caribbean Sea that could potentially impact Jamacia. At first, we thought it might have an impact on the flights coming from the States and if it got worse could impact travel from all parts of Jamaica. It was at the tail end of hurricane season, so we were hopeful that it would not develop into anything stronger. While concerned, we decided to board the flights and head for Montego Bay. We did have two team members decide not to go based on some extended weather reports. This concerned the rest of us as we didn’t think it would be THAT bad but respected their decisions. We started to wonder what weather reports they had seen that we had not. Nonetheless, we hoped on and buckled up. It was a very smooth flight which led us to temper our concerns.
Finish The Drill
When we reached the conference center on Wednesday, we had to set up all the things we would need when the conference started on Thursday evening, so there was a lot of activity which took up most of the day. We were concentrating on getting set up and had not looked at any of the updated weather reports. When we stopped for dinner, we were updated by the leaders of the weekend that it was becoming likely that the tropical storm was going to develop into a hurricane and that Jamaica was directly in the path. The models showed that it would hit on Monday or Tuesday of the following week. The conference was scheduled to be completed by Sunday afternoon. We also found out that of the 17 guys originally signed up that the number of guys coming may be significantly smaller or maybe none. The team was gathered and given a choice of leaving now while the Montego Bay airport was still open or waiting until our scheduled flight on the following Monday. We lost two more team members at that point. Both had good reasons to leave, and they headed for the airport. The rest of us decided to stay knowing that it was going to be close, but we thought we could get the weekend in and get to the airport and jump on a plane before it got bad. At that point there was nothing for sure and the storm just sat in the ocean and was spinning. Perhaps it would change direction and miss the island completely. There were literally hundreds if not thousands of paths they were plotting. No one knew anything for sure. We all started to be much more concerned but were still committed to the weekend.
Finish The Drill
The weekend starts right on time on Thursday evening after everyone arrives (a small miracle in Jamaica), and the weather is almost perfect. Not a cloud in the sky with very comfortable temperatures and nice ocean breezes. We have 11 out of the original 17 guys coming for the weekend. We find out Melissa is the storm’s name. That name sounds too nice to be that nasty, right? Friday, the first full day, is a repeat of Thursday, and our confidence is growing that the storm/hurricane may decide to miss our little party. However, we are also told that the waters are warm and as the storm just sits in the ocean and spins it is only getting bigger and stronger. Still considered a tropical storm and not a hurricane. We also find out that once it is listed as a hurricane, the airports will be closed. We are all watching reports on our phones as we continue to serve and enjoy the weekend. Prayers are being lifted to change the path back into the ocean and away from the people…. including US. Delta moved up our flights from Monday to Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm. The window to leave is starting to close.
Finish The Drill
After the Friday session ends we hold a team meeting, and we are updated that it looks like the storm is moving slowly toward Jamaica. VERY SLOWLY. The Saturday session will go on, and we need to be as efficient as possible. We are starting to be encouraged by people back home to end the weekend and get on a plane while we still can.
As the Saturday session begins, the guys are worshipping in ways I have never experienced. It is so organic and spirit filled. There was a 30-minute breakout of singing and worshipping that was hard to describe. As the storm intensified the voices just got louder. While the news continues to get worse, while the rain and wind is starting to howl in spurts that hit the tin roof so hard that you can’t hear what the person next to you is saying, while everyone sneaks peeks on their phones to what the latest is, I am feeling totally at peace. I must tell you that I felt that I was exactly where I was supposed to be and doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
Disciples of Jesus are devoted to Christ, but they are also devoted to each other. Devotion to divinity brings devotion to humanity. There is a worldwide family of faith and salvation whose members enjoy a brotherly and sisterly love for one another. For some Christians, intimacy with other believers is much more real that their relationship with blood relatives because they are related by the faith. Our dependable devotion to each other during difficult times is refreshing to all of us. The kinship with other Christ followers is a humbling benefit of being a believer, but it does require fidelity both ways. Our devotion to other believers is a sign of loyalty and love, it provides security.
Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That verse had always been a mystery to me. I didn’t know what that was…. until that day, then I knew it like I had known it all my life. My kids were concerned, and I had a FaceTime call with them to reassure them. I had a hard time explaining it, but I was fully at peace. Regardless of what was being reported on the news. I hated that I was putting them through this, but I was so happy that I was experiencing this.
We start shutting down and packing up as the conference continues. We want to be able to leave as fast as possible when the Sunday session is complete. The eleven guys going through are all doing this while their families are home without them. We can’t abandon these guys, and they want to finish too. More calls from the community and from families urging and some begging for us to shut it down. Delta changes our flights from 4:00 to 3:00 on Sunday. Heavy clouds are now everywhere, and the hard bursts of rain are lasting longer. The wind is picking up and bending trees over.
Later in the day the transportation secretary announces that Melissa is now considered a hurricane and closes all three airports on the island of Jamaica. We immediately received a notice from Delta that our rescheduled flights are cancelled, and they have rebooked us for Monday flights that no one believes we will be on. We now need a hotel to ride out a hurricane in. Our window is now officially closed.
Finish The Drill
The Sunday session ends around noon, and we pack up and grab a box lunch and head for the Catalonia Hotel a few miles from Montego Bay airport at 1:00 pm. The rain and wind are almost constant now. It’s time to find shelter and hunker down.
As the remaining twenty guys from the American team check-in to our ten rooms we are amazed that the resort is packed full of people. People were sharing drinks and stories at the bar, eating from the all-inclusive dining rooms, playing music trivia, playing dominoes, singing karaoke, and other things people do on vacation. For some reason I thought we would be the only ones in the place. It had a feeling for me like the band playing on the Titanic as it sank. Doesn’t everyone know that there is a huge hurricane coming our way? We have heard that it is expected to be category 4 or 5 by the time it finds its way to us. Oh boy.
I send the following text to my girlfriend who was concerned about me and the others and not pleased that I didn’t get out sooner: “It’s hard to explain but I am at peace. I believe without exception that I am where I am supposed to be. I am very concerned, but I am confident.” I also touch base with the kids and tell them to please not worry and that I will make it through this. It is not working; they are very concerned.
Many of us have a few adult beverages and download from the amazing weekend we just experienced and try and figure out what is in front of us. The weather is not bad, and we are a little perplexed why they closed the airport. We could have flown out today. But unless we are REALLY good swimmers we are stuck here for the duration. We all head for bed around 11:00. The prediction is that it will hit on Monday or Tuesday. This may be the last good night’s sleep for a while. As I pulled the sheets over to me and headed to sleep, I’m thinking to myself, Am I still on mission? It’s not clear but I’m pretty sure Her kept us here for a reason. We will see what tomorrow brings. Whatever is coming I’m in it to the end.
Finish The Drill
Monday morning arrives and the weather is still great, which gives us false hope that maybe this will not happen as predicted by the weather folks. If only….
We could have made it out on Monday as well. Did they close the airports too early? We think so for sure. We really enjoyed the resort (which was the last day anyone was enjoying being there). I have been to Jamaica six times, and I’ve never stepped foot in a resort on prior trips. It was an in and out “business” trip. As the weather reports rolled in with alarming updates we relaxed and got to meet a lot of the guests and started making friends. They were all a bit curious about these 20 “missionaries” that were all hanging out together and having a good time. Shouldn’t we be more concerned? To a man, we were all confident that God was going to protect us all and that we were still on mission. We had no clue what that was yet, but we were about to find out.
In preparation for the storm, we got a taxi and had him take us around looking for water in the afternoon. The streets were empty and most of the businesses were closed and boarded up by that point. We found a little market that was packed with people and guarded by a soldier with an A5. We grabbed all the water we could carry, paid our bill and got back to the hotel.
We met a guy named Sam from the Weather Channel that was a storm chaser, and he was staying with us. He was doing reports from the hotel. If you followed the hurricane reports on the Weather Channel you can see footage from Catalonia where we were huddled up. He told us that the storm was going to hit on Tuesday between 12:00 and 6:00.
We went to dinner that night and we were all informed that everyone had to stay in their rooms from 8:00 pm on Monday until 8:00 pm on Tuesday. We were encouraged to take some food back to the rooms after dinner in case access to food is interrupted after the storm. It looks like the hurricane will not arrive until Tuesday like Sam said. One more night to get some rest. We are likely going to need it. I’ve never had to ride out a category 5 hurricane before so here goes nothing! Praying constantly and thanking God for the peace that surpasses all understanding. Buckle up. The hotel workers are putting the finishing touches on boarding up with plywood. I’m not sure how plywood is going to stop 150 mph wind but what do I know?! It is starting to rain and howl some. I try to get a look outside, but security pushes me politely back into the room. Power goes out around midnight, but the generators kick in right away.
Finish The Drill
Storm Day! Everyone is up early and constantly looking up to the heavens from the safety of our rooms. Sam tells us via text that the eye is expected to pass just to our east and then we will be stuck in the western eye wall. 100+ mph wind will be here by 10:00 am. We still have power and communications with the outside world which is huge. I’m texting with people which calms and comforts me.
Sam is prophetic. It’s 10:00 am and Melissa is here and she is not happy. I sneak out again and get some videos. It feels like the wind is above 50 mph but not 100 yet. The winds are hard enough to bend over big palm trees and stuff is blowing everywhere. Time for me to get back inside.
The wind is howling and very loud and by early afternoon the worst part begins. The winds are now pushing 100 mph, and the wind sounds like jet engines on full force. If I live to be 200 and get Alzheimer’s I will never forget the sound of the howling wind. It was nonstop. Unlike a tornado which comes and goes quickly this was nonstop. You could feel the building moving. Our sliding glass doors were shaking and bowing back and forth nonstop. Water was coming in the room, so we had to put towels down to keep it from accumulating. We moved my bed up against the glass doors in case the glass shattered.
The winds have been roaring all day, which is frightening. You can tell that Melissa is now fully on land and is tearing everything apart. The howling sound is soothing in a way like riding in a car for a long time seems to put you asleep. Both my roommate and I both fall asleep and take a nap in the middle of this thing. Talk about peace that surpasses all understanding! I also got up in the middle of it and took a shower thinking I might not get the opportunity after this was over. Catch this, we hear a knock on the door around noon, and we open it to find the hotel staff with box lunches with a VARIETY of chicken or ham! I kid you not. We told them to come in, and we prayed with them and thanked them for their above and beyond service to us.
We finally lose power around 4:30 which also knocks out the air conditioning, television and communications. They lasted a LOT longer than I thought they would for sure. I felt bad for our loved ones that were able to talk with us up till then and then they had to endure radio silence until the next day to hear if we made it or not. We are informed that many of our guys have had to move to the stairwells because their rooms have had walls collapse and/or the sliding glass doors have been ripped completely out.
The eye passes by us around 6:00 pm. We have now been pounded by 100 - 170 mph winds since late morning. It is truly unbelievable. My room is one of the few to make it this far. Thank you, Lord. However, the building is getting destroyed. Roof tiles are flying like rockets. Palm trees are snapping, and the branches are projectiles into the side of the building and into the glass doors.
The back half of the storm lasts until about midnight or so. We got out of our rooms for a few minutes and went to check on the guys on our team. We were able to go into the lobby on the main floor, and you could see the extensive damage. We rode that out until morning of the next day. We had made it but have not been able to let anyone know yet. Sleep was almost impossible but Praise God, we were still here. I prayed for most of the night. One of things I prayed was that God would be glorified through all this somehow and that everybody would see Him in the details of all the stories, good or bad.
Finish The Drill
Wednesday morning and I have now been here for a week. We all kind of climbed out of the wreckage and made it to the lobby. It was great to see that everyone had made it through. Not just our twenty guys but everyone else too. What a miracle that was. One of the guys on the team brought a StarLink portable satellite and we were able to get messages out to loved ones. At 8:48 am I sent a three-word text:
“I Made It!”
The hotel was destroyed. The airport was destroyed. Delta has rebooked our flights for Friday out of Montego Bay. We just grinned and said “Sure” on that one. We immediately started to try and figure out how to get out of there knowing that was going to be a bigger challenge than making it through a C5 hurricane.
Our team went into action and started to pick up and move a lot of debris from around the building. Our initial thought was to assist in getting the generators up and running, which happened quickly. We had power again! Our friend with StarLink also gave out the password to the rest of the guests at the hotel while the hotel worked on getting their communication systems back up. People had tears in their eyes full of gratitude for the opportunity to talk with loved ones to let them know they had made it through the worst hurricane in the history of hurricanes. We were told that the wind was more than 230 mph!
Why are we still here? Has the mission changed? What’s next Lord?
We are actively working on getting out and while there are a few promising leads we are still stuck in the hotel. The General Manager of the hotel is a believer, and she makes daily updates for all the people still there. She lets everyone know that we need to vacate the hotel as soon as possible because it is not safe. However, the service is unbelievable! We have hot food three times a day. We have water. We have security. We have communications.
We spoke with the Cajun Navy about getting lifted out. We also talk with Samaritan’s Purse. Delta cancels our flights out of Montego Bay and then rebooks them for Friday. We are dubious since pictures of the airport show nearly complete destruction, but it would be nice to get out there. Most people headed to Kingston, which opened their airport first. The situation is fluid and at times frustrating, but our teams back home are doing all they can to help. It is not easy to continuously book and rebook flights for twenty people.
One story gets back home that we are going to be lifted out by Black Hawk helicopters by the Cajun Navy folks. That was never true but the thought of riding out by helicopter made for some fun conversations.
Our Friday flight out of Montego Bay hasn’t been cancelled and we are getting hopeful that we may get out of there without having to trek all the way across the island to Kingston and wait in long lines, etc. without someplace safe to stay. The hotel provides free bus rides to Kingston every morning at 3:00 am and highly encouraging us to be on one soon.
In the evenings we gather as a group in the banged-up lobby and reach out to the folks we have met from all over the world. We pray with them, encourage them, have a Red Stripe or two with them. We help the staff serve and clean up. Some of the guys go and check on local churches and help put tarps up over destroyed roofs. The views outside of our compound are not good. Our hearts hurt for these poor people. They have taken a massive hit. Death tolls are starting to come in and have reached 30 plus.
I think our mission is to be encouragers to those stranded with us at the hotel and to minister and serve the hotel staff.
Finish The Drill
Thursday comes and we find out that Delta canceled the Friday flight and rebooked us for Monday out of Montego Bay. Disappointing but not unexpected. We were encouraged that flights were being booked out of Montego Bay which was only a few miles down the road. What was not expected however was the hotel telling us that we needed to be out of the hotel by Saturday. That’s a problem. We talked to the hotel General Manager, and she allowed us to stay until Monday but that was the last day we could be there.
We also find out that several guys on our team that live in various cities in Jamacia have lost everything in the hurricane and flooding. All the team survived but a number have lost their homes. That is just devastating.
Since we have now been here much longer than anticipated, some guys are starting to run out of medications and are feeling the impact of not having the medicine they need. We also need to find a way to get them home. While the team is still unified, we are starting to feel the pressure and need to get home as soon as possible.
WSB TV in Atlanta heard about our story and approached me about giving an interview which I did. It aired on Friday.
Finish The Drill
Delta rebooked the Friday canceled flight for Friday which was promising and then turned right around and canceled it again and rebooked us for Monday. While odd, we were starting to get very encouraged that the Monday flight was going to happen. One of the team members’ wife is a flight attendant for Delta and was scheduled to work on the flight. We just must grind out the weekend and then we are out of here!
Due to their room being destroyed, we had two guys join us in our room. So now we have two beds for four guys. Be it ever so humble…. You do what you must do right?
In the evenings our little group of twenty seems to be the life of evening parties. One of the guys, who is a pastor, felt the Lord telling him to make people laugh and enjoy themselves. He could be seen leading multiple conga lines throughout the evenings. The rest of us shared some Red Stripes and told stories and heard the stories of other guests. We met some incredible and interesting people. I was beginning to feel like our mission was over but was getting frustrated on still being there if that was the case. How do I Finish The Drill?
I reached out to one of the pastors on our team and asked him what he thought about having a church service for all who remained on Sunday morning. He thought it was a good idea and would see if he could do it.
11 Alive got wind of our story as well and reached out and interviewed some of the guys on our team. We are finding out that people back home hear about us. In both interviews we gave for the television stations we were able to share the gospel which was awesome. What a unique opportunity.
Finish The Drill
Survive the weekend and then we get home! I can put up with anything for two days, right? On Saturday evening we had a big party with all the people we met from all over the world. More Conga lines, more stories from new friends. One of our guys took over the DJ services and took requests all night. Everything was going great until we found out that a couple, we met out of South Carolina had their flight canceled. They were recently married after losing their spouses and were very nice people. They were sure they were going out and were crushed to find out that they were not going home that night. We all gathered around and prayed for them and tried to console them. We knew how they felt. We have had at least a half dozen flights canceled by now.
We are green lighted for having a church service on Sunday morning by the hotel management. I think they trust us or at a minimum we are helping them keep everyone entertained in the evenings. I’m not sure they know what to think about us “religious” people. I’m still wondering what our mission is, but it looks like our time there is coming to an end soon.
Finish The Drill
After all the cancelations and changing plans over the past days since we have been stranded on this island in the middle of an ocean, I was excited to wake up for my last day before heading back home to my family and friends. Excited to have air conditioning. Excited to have a hot shower (had not had one in 12 days). Excited to sleep in my own bed in my own house. I know that all sounds trite, but I was ready for it. God had used me in a unique way and given me an experience that few have had the chance to be a part.
We gather everyone in the lobby for the church service and to my delight and surprise many attends and seem thankful for the opportunity to worship together with each other. During the service the staff is singled out for their above and beyond level of service. They even took over worship, and we sang several songs that had people tearing up and were very happy. The pastor brought a good word, and the gospel was shared once again. The theme song for the weekend we did was Lean on Me the old Bill Withers song. It was great to hear everyone singing and dancing to that. I’ll tell you what, that was one of the best services I have attended in a long time. There was true worship going on. We took a collection for the service folks and honored them with that. Once it was over I realized why we were kept there a few more days. I felt great about it.
By the end of the day the weather had returned to awesomeness, and it was a wonderful night to sit out by the pool and enjoy the stars and sounds of planes taking off from Montego Bay airport. As I was on the phone talking to a friend back home, I got a notice on my phone from Delta. My flight on Monday had been canceled. I had allowed myself to believe that it was going to happen, and it felt awful. It was like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. Not again! I had had enough.
All the anger that I had been suppressing just blew at once. I think I might have frightened a few of the fellas. So, the plans change AGAIN, and we have to be out of the hotel in the morning. As a real lousy president used to say, C’mon Man!
We pull the team together for yet another meeting and after discussing all the new options we decide that we are heading for Kingston in the morning at 3:00 am. Our travel agent again springs into action to try and get us out of there. After a few hours we are told that we have flights out of Kingston and to go and pack.
We had weathered the weekend but now what?
Finish The Drill
Monday morning comes early as we wake up at 2:00 am to get ready for our three-hour bus ride across the island to Kingston. We pile into the bus and rumble through the mountains are reach our destination. I was expecting Kingston to be all torn up too, but it looked the exact opposite.
Once we reached the airport, we had a six-hour wait for a flight to Nassau in the Bahamas on Caribbean Airways (never heard of it) to catch a Delta flight to Atlanta. We had to clear customs in Nassau which went off without a hitch. We all made it to the Delta flight and when we went wheels up, I swear you could hear a collective exhale from all the boys. We finally headed home after twelve days of serving. God had brought us through a Category 5 hurricane and allowed us to work alongside Him in some amazing ways for which I will always be grateful. When we landed, we were met by an 11 Alive reporter and cameraman who wanted to update their story on us. We took a few pictures and finally were free to grab our luggage and head home. As I gave one last hug to a friend on the team He reached over and whispered in my ear, “What a great experience we shared together Mark, let’s NEVER do it again!” I smiled and agreed.
As I pulled into the driveway of my house at 8:30 in the evening, completing an 18-hour day I became overwhelmed. Woodstock, Georgia never looked better! I had made it, and I could finally say that I had indeed Finished The Drill. I was home. As I entered, I saw a sign that Natalie and her family had put up in the kitchen that said Welcome Home. That sealed it. What an experience indeed.
Thankful for an incredible experience and to finally understand what the peace that surpasses all understanding really means.
For the people I left behind, please join me in praying for safe shelter on the island of Jamacia. When we pray for safe shelter, we are asking God to provide protection from the elements, from violence and from instability. We are interceding with families who’ve been displaced by conflict, natural disasters, or economic hardship. We’re also praying for communities working to build homes, improve living conditions, and create safe places for vulnerable people. Our ultimate shelter is found in God himself, but He also calls us to ensure that everyone has a physical place they can call home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Prayer:
Lord, grant rest for my weary soul. The storms of life can seem like they will destroy everything when I look away from You. In Your presence, I find security and peace during the worst parts. Quiet the storms within me and calm the turbulence of life. Return the sea to calm and beautiful. Help me abide in you and find true rest and refreshment for my spirit. Thank you for being my refuge and strength. Amen.
Book Recommendation:
Gentle and Lowly - The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortland (2020)
Music Recommendation:
Ridin’ The Storm Out by REO Speedwagon (1973)
Quote of the Day:
“Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes.” — Jack Handy
Cool Place to Visit:
Montego Bay, Jamacia