A Shelter in the time of storm ...

So I am sure many of us are familiar with the hymn "Jesus is the rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm." This song is very powerful because no matter what storms we may be going thru in our personal lives, Jesus is our rock and He will protect us. But not only in personal storms but in actual storms of nature, as well.

My friend & I just got back from a mini-vacation to the beach. We made a stop over at the exclusive Bald Head Island. I have lived in North Carolina my whole life but had never been to Bald Head. It is a very unique place and you almost feel very secluded and a recluse of sorts. One of the neatest things on the island is the lack of automobiles. One either walks, bikes or golf karts (we opted to golf kart). Well, if you don't have a place to stay or are just going for the day, you can sightsee at the various little shops on the island or visit the beaches.



One of our main reasons for going to the island was to see North Carolina's oldest standing lighthouses - Old Baldy. We "cruised by" in our kart upon our arrival but decided to wait until later to tour the lighthouse. Needless to say, when we got back to the lighthouse, a monsoon hit ... rain, wind, thunder, lightning -- it was a wild combination, even wilder knowing you are on a secluded island only accessible by ferry! The keeper at the lighthouse didn't want to allow us to tour it because the storm was to get worse, but since we had come for the day & primarily to see Old Baldy, she allowed us inside and to climb to the top.



Now granted the view wasn't great since it was raining so hard & the wind was blowing. But while the storm might have been raging outside, we felt very safe inside the lighthouse. It had withstood numerous hurricanes since being built in 1817, and if it could withstand Hurricanes Hazel & Fran, then I knew we'd be safer inside Old Baldy than in our little golf kart (though cute as it was!)

So on this stormy day, the lighthouse also proved to be our shelter in the time of storm. Never fear during storms in our lives (personal or caused by nature), the Lord is there to protect us and He will provide us shelter, even if it is in a very old lighthouse (bet many people can't say they've been trapped INSIDE a lighthouse during a storm!)

Good Day Sunshine ...

I don't know why but I love the song "Good Day Sunshine" performed by The Beatles. I really can't pinpoint why I like it, but every so often you like a song and really can't explain why. I guess I just like the beat and I like to see the sun shine. And boy lately has the sun been shining ...

I don't ever recall North Carolina being as hot as it has been. During the month of June, 22 to 24 days of the month we were in the 90s or above; already in July we've set record heat in the 100s. BUT you won't hear me complaining. I cannot stand cold weather. I hate air conditioning blowing on me. If you come to my office, you will probably find my heater running. Now this has not always been the case, it used to be a van running but with thyroid issues, your system sometimes reverses on you.

One thing I've come to realize that even on days when the sun literally may not be shining or we may be going thru something in our lives where we don't think even if the sun is shining, our lives still seem dark; we need to realize that the sun and the Son always shine. Even on days when we may be going thru something truly trying, we can look back at something in our lives that makes us smile or laugh or something that is meaningful to us and allow that to be something that shines in our lives.