Power Point - October 20, 2005
October 20, 2005
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
--Mark 4:37-39
Sometimes you read something that absolutely bears repeating. In Max Lucado’s fantastic book, In the Eye of the Storm, I read about Chippie, the parakeet:
“Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage and the next he was sucked in, washed up and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang and she turned to pick it up. She barely said hello when (pffft!) Chippie got sucked in. The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum and opened the bag. There was Chippie still alive but stunned! Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird-owner would do. She reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him! A few days after the trauma the reporter who had initially written about the event contacted Chippie’s owner to see how the bird was recovering. ‘Well,’ she replied, ‘Chippie doesn’t sing much anymore. He just sits and stares.’”
It’s not hard to see why, is it? Sucked in, washed up, and blown over…that’s enough to steal anybody’s song. Can you relate to Chippie? Most of us can. One minute you’re perched in peace, and then suddenly out of nowhere, the pink slip comes, the doctor calls and the report isn’t good, there’s a policeman knocking at your door, the divorce papers are filed, the check bounces, and so on. You’re in a storm like you’ve never imagined!
The above Bible verse is just part of a fantastic story we have portraying Christ in His humanity and deity. And the same Christ who stilled the storm that day on the
BE PREPARED! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE WHEN LIFE’S SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED STORMS COME YOUR WAY.
