Returned

Return storm

One year ago (3/26/2021), we were shocked by the devastation left in Newnan, Georgia, from an EF4 tornado. It looked like locusts had stripped away all the lush vegetation from our local neighborhoods. Homes were torn apart, and families were displaced. Church buildings, schools, and businesses were severely damaged. Many lives were turned upside-down.

In response to this tragedy, Samaritan’s Purse deployed a team of disaster relief volunteers to our community, where they set up their base of operations at our church, First Baptist, Newnan, Georgia. Each day, they sent out an army of devoted workers into our community, removing downed trees, doing major cleanups, and sharing the love of Jesus.

The day after Easter, April 5, 2021, a volunteer found a suitcase in the yard of a local home. The tag attached to it identified the owner as a woman from a town in Alabama, 135 miles away. It was blown here by tornadic winds from far across state lines. The volunteer called the lady to make arrangements for returning the luggage to her.

 

You may feel like the storms of life have taken so much from you: your home, your health, your family, your friends, your finances, your position, and your possessions. You are wondering if you can ever pick up the pieces of your life and return to normal. You have been robbed of any prospect for the future. You have lost all hope.

If you are in that situation, hear the words of Jesus: “…the thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The devil offers nothing but heartache, yet Jesus came to this broken world to make you whole.

Return

When locusts eat a plant, the effects are not just felt that year, but for generations to come. When the plant is destroyed, so are the seeds. Nevertheless, God promises not only to return what we have lost, but to abundantly replace it. He says, “I will restore to you for the years the swarming locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).

God will return what you have lost. Just ask Job in the Old Testament. He lost everything: health, children, and belongings, but God not only returned it all to him, He doubled it (Job 42:10). If God can do what he did for Job, He can do the same thing for you. Believe Him and watch Him return hope to you.

recent

blog

keep calm

Keep Calm

Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster created by the British government to inspire their people before World War II. The placard was intended to encourage the panicked English population during the threat of Nazi air raids. The crown pictured on the top of the poster was meant to give the impression of an

Read More
red light bulb

Inspired in a Dark Place

Austin Miles was an amateur photographer. He discovered he could read his Bible in the red lighting of a darkroom. He would often peruse Scripture while he waited for his pictures to develop. On March 1912, while awaiting the photo developing process to finish, Miles picked up his Bible. It fell open to John 20.

Read More

DEPARTURE DATE

Demonization (Part 2) Mark 5:11-20 This is the second blog in my series on “Demonization” from Mark 5. Last month’s post covered verses 1-10 from the same chapter. This month’s blog is from verses 11-20. Here, we see three significant “departures” on the same date in Jesus’ encounter with this demoniac who was possessed by

Read More