Storms of Life

This past weekend (August 29th, 2021 we saw another Hurricane destroy Louisiana…again) Having been born and raised in New Orleans I know full well when Hurricane season is (June – Nov) and I know it first hand as my family and I was evacuees of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Without getting into the details, Katrina impacted hundreds of thousands of families and we were one of them. I’ve written about our story and I’ll put the link in the video description for you to read. But for today we are going to try to be objective and change our perspective of the latest storm. Our scripture focus is Mark 4:35-41 and while I’ll let you read the whole verse yourself, I wanted to give you a window into one passage (37-38). And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Does that sound like us during any storm? Hello God…are you even seeing this? Trust me He does But I wanted to focus on two parts of this story. Those in the boat and outside the boat

In the Boat

The disciples in the boat were having a much different experience of the storm than the people on the shore. In the boat, they were being tossed around because of the storm and they didn’t like it one bit. Scripture doesn’t say how big of the boat it was but even a 20-foot boat in a storm is going to struggle with wind and waves. As we see in our scripture focus, the disciples said to Jesus, “do you not care we are perishing?.” Whether they were overreacting or not, they felt their life been threatened. During Katrina, everything was magnified but things got laser-focused. Suddenly I wasn’t concerned about all the little things that may have occupied my thoughts. My thoughts were on the safety of my family and myself.

On the shore

The people on the shore while may have felt the wind and maybe rain, but could take shelter. They were on solid ground and probably were having a completely different experience than the disciples. Kind of like being in a car accident vs seeing the accident. We spent a week in Houston watching the destruction of Katrina and then moved to Arizona. It’s a long story and is covered in an article I’ll link to in the description. But what struck me in the next 2 years (that’s how long my family and I were in “transition” was there was a huge difference being in the boat vs onshore. The people in Arizona were very supportive and even created a job for me that would eventually lead to Studio490 and ultimately Uncommen. But there was a disconnect for them as they didn’t go through the storm. The same could be said for our relationship with Jesus. Those who have a relationship with Jesus are very different from those to watch from a distance.

Truth & Grace

• Whether you and I are going through a storm of life (there will be storms) it’s always better to draw us as close to Jesus as possible. Because that is where there is safety, rest, and peace.
• Mark 4:40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Devotions: Rest Boldly – https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/2… Defcon 1 – https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/1… Fear Not – https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/1… Articles Thank God for Katrina – https://www.uncommen.org/thank-god-ka… Pursuing God in and out of trials – https://www.uncommen.org/pursuing-god… Same storm different boats – https://www.uncommen.org/same-storm-d… Videos When life goes sideways – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YcTb… Eye of the storm – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCo_U… Note to self – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY07k… Support Uncommen Membership: Help support Uncommen by starting your Membership today ($25) – https://www.uncommen.org/membership/ Donate: One-time or on-going is a great way to give back to this non-profit – https://www.uncommen.org/give/ Store: Uncommen Gear for Uncommen men – https://www.uncommen.org/uncommen-shop/ Get Involved Writer: Want to write for Uncommen? https://www.uncommen.org/writers/ Fundraiser / Grant Writer: We are looking for help with both of these services – https://www.uncommen.org/volunteer/ Follow Uncommen Newsletter: https://www.uncommen.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncommen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/areyouuncom… The Uncommen Why We believe every man struggles with something in life whether it be addiction, money, health, family, confidence, success, etc. Every man shares common problems; we feel we have an uncommen solution in Christ Jesus. We encourage men to be the husbands, dads, and leaders they were always meant to be.