Just A Quick Check In

Dear Friends...Thank you to so many who have commented on my previous post "The Calm Before the Storm".  I just wanted to check in and let you know that we are still doing fine...it is about 2:00 pm here on Sunday, 9/10/17, and Hurricane Irma is still headed our way, slowly but surely...but we are very thankful that she seems to have veered more toward the west coast than previously thought, which helps some...even though that puts most of the state on the right hand side of the storm where the higher winds usually are.  Hopefully, the slower she moves up the coast, the less power she will have by the time she gets up to where we are.  (See the blue dot below). 

I am so thankful that we still have power at this time...it has been raining off and on all day, and we get some pretty strong wind gusts now and then, but the bad stuff won't get here until sometime tonight.  So please keep praying.

This is what the trees look like across the road from our house. They are swaying in the breeze.  I have inserted a video of them blowing in the wind for you here. I hope you can see it.  Again, this is just the early stages of the storm for our area.  I expect it will get more interesting as the day goes by...but we keep praying that it will move farther out to sea before it gets here.

Just for fun, here's our two red buckets for "flushing" purposes, gathering rain water...in case the power goes out and we can't use our pump!  They are full and ready for action should the need arise!

I've got spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove, ready for supper tonight. One of our neighbors may come over and join us later and possibly spend the night since he lives in a manufactured home and they have been ordered to evacuate.  Others in the neighborhood are gathering in safer homes as well.  Our community is primarily an older vacation home neighborhood, so there is a mixture of different kinds of houses.  Ours is concrete block so it is considered safe.

A couple of the neighboring vacation homes and the trees before the storm.

Praying it still looks like this after the storm.

I know many have already quoted Psalm 91 as words of comfort and safety, but these verses bear repeating:

1.  "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2.  I will say of the Lord,

'He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.'

3.  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the perilous pestilence.

4.  He shall cover you with His feathers,

and under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5.  You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6.  Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday."

9.  Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

even the Most High, 

your dwelling place,

10.  No evil shall befall you,

nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11.  For He shall give His angels charge over you,

to keep you in all your ways.

12.  In their hands they shall bear you up,

lest you dash your foot against a stone."

Regardless of what Hurricane Irma does or does not do, we are safe here under God's Almighty wings...we know that His angels have been given charge over us...and we shall not fear.  

However, please continue to pray...and I will update you again when I can.  If we lose power I will be offline for a while...possibly a week or more they say could be possible...so have no fear...just pray!

Thank you again for your prayers and kind words of encouragement!!  I will close with this song that is a favorite of so many, "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns.  This is my song and declaration today.  Can you sing along with me....no matter what kind of storm you may be experiencing?

"Praise You In This Storm"

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

Amen