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If you have looked for the weekday morning devotions this week and haven’t found them, it’s because I’m back in the Bowling Green, Kentucky area volunteering with IDES in the rebuild/repair phase of the disaster response following last December’s tornado outbreak.  This trip is a bit different from the immediate cleanup response as it looks like we’ll be serving one family the entire week instead of the 5 or 6 a day in the cleanup phase.  Anyhow, here’s another “Story of the Heart” from my serving.

Blown Away!

The above photo is a home site that has not yet been cleaned up.  While it may appear that the damaged home and debris have been removed by people following the tornado, this is actually all that was left on the site once the tornado blew its way through the area.  The homeowner that was inside at the time blew away with his home and was blown out of his home where he clung to a tree as the tornado went on its way.  He had a stick driven into his leg, missing the main artery, that required surgery to remove the stick and work on his injuries.  This is a family that needed help and is receiving help from a variety of sources, including IDES and their partnership with the Bowling Green Christian Church.

Over the past weeks, a new home has been rising across the drive from where the concrete blocks from the previous home still lie scattered about.  A family is being cared for and are experiencing the love of Jesus in a very practical way.  While disaster itself has a way of blowing away the things we value, it also can lead to people being blown away by the kindness of strangers doing good in the name of Jesus.  It has been sobering at times, and fun at other times, listening to the stories of each type of being blown away.  This week it is a family being blown away by nearly 200 sheets of drywall being hung by volunteers in a house that is being prepared for them.  It makes me think about how God’s love ought to blow us away as Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us.

I think the big question most of us ought to ask our self is, “How can I serve people in such a way that they are blown away by God’s love through me?”  Whether we ever travel to a disaster area or not, we have the calling of God to be the light of the world in such a way that people see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.  People all around us are blown away by the circumstances of life all the time and the opportunity exists to love and serve and help people in the name of Jesus.  IDES will be in Kentucky for a while yet, blowing people away with the love of Jesus, and the opportunity exists for you to help do just that.  You can find out more information by visiting their website at www.ides.org.  If you’re not able to come to Kentucky, look around wherever you are and choose to serve people with the love of Jesus in such a way that you have ample opportunity to share with them the reason for the hope that is within you.

In prayer,
Tom