Not Your Typical Storm 

Appropriate for Adults 

By Ed J Horton

"Wow!" I stood peering out the front window as ninety mile-an-hour winds snapped trees like they were brittle twigs and tore entire sections of roofs apart. The window panes shook and I stepped away, expecting the glass to shatter at any moment.

"This is not a typical thunder and lightning storm," I shouted to my spouse. My words were barely audible over the clatter of rain drops pelting the house.

Within forty-five minutes the storm had passed, taking with it the last moments of twilight and leaving us in the darkness of what would become a 24-hour power outage.

"Where are the flashlights?" I asked.

"Probably in the same drawer as the matches," my wife said, waving several unlit candles before my eyes.

"What happened to our earthquake preparedness kit? It has everything we need."

"This is Arizona, Dear. The kit was disbanded when we moved from California!"

"It looks as if now we need a kit for Monsoon season."

The commute to work the next morning was slow due to downed power lines and tree limbs blocking roads. My wife and I stared in amazement at broken windows, missing shingles, and toppled block-wall fences. Some houses under construction lay flattened on the ground. Daylight revealed the amount of damage.

"Next time, we will be better prepared for this kind of weather," I said.

I could see a parallel to how the disciples must have felt when their boat became caught in a squall on the Sea of Galilee. Exhausted after a day of teaching the crowds, Jesus slept soundly as the boat tossed about and the men tried to keep it afloat. In desperation, the disciples woke Him, saying "We're going to drown!" Jesus commanded the wind and the waves to cease and the storm instantly subsided. What didn't subside was the disciples' fear--they still trembled and shook but not because of the storm. Talk about foul weather preparedness. They had the God of all creation in the boat with them!

Can I better prepare for the storms of life than with matches and flashlight batteries? Yes. Just a whispered prayer away, the power of Jesus Christ is available to me. And that's the best kind of preparedness kit!

"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:25 (NIV) 

Ed J. Horton is enthusiastic when it comes to Sharing Awesome Christian Writings with kids of all ages!Ed lives with his wonderful wife, Susan, and seven-year-old daughter, Deanna, in Boise, Idaho where they share their home with a lazy, long-haired cat named Denny and a lively kitten named Scampy. Ed loves kids and loves sharing in a high-action adventure or an exciting mystery! He enjoys participating in the children's ministry of his church and serves on the board of directors for the pre-school academy.Ed's stories have been published in Christian periodicals such as Seek, Evangel, Purpose, The Vision, Church of God Evangel, Alive!, Keys for Kids, and The Upper Room. His writing appears in The One Year Book of Devotions for Kids #3, God's Vitamin "C" for the Spirit of Men, and in various other inspirational books. For more stories and information Ed, please his website http://www.edjhorton.com.