Yes, yes, I realize I forgot to post the H3 verse....

 it's been a crazy few days, but here it is now.

And to be honest, I'm going to make it short and sweet for this month's introduction to the verse.  

On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, my home state of Alabama experienced catastrophic destruction from a mass of storms that produced multiple, gravely large tornados.  Tornados that brought numerous death, hundreds and hundreds of lives were lost across the southeast, and also destroyed complete towns, communities, sections of cities.   I'm sure no matter where you live you probably at least saw some national coverage of the damage.

It's much worse in person. I've never seen anything like it in my lifetime. I've never experienced anything like it in my lifetime. And I must say, the outpouting of love from the body of Christ in the aftermath.....well, I've never experienced that either.  And when I say the aftermath, I mean mere minutes after the tornados hit and even now, almost two weeks later. 

To see pure and absolute devastation is heartwrenching, and it does seem eerily similiar to 9-11 and days afterward, sure, the somberness is hanging, looming overhead......but to see rising from the rubble the awe inspiring care being sought out from fellow Americans to their neighbors in need brings just pure and absolute pride and amazement.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." 

 ~Romans 8:18

Folks are suffering in this present day, it's true. Not just from the ravages caused by the tornado. But in the after shock as well.

Folks are suffering in this present day, it's true. And the fact is simple, it may not have been caused by a tornado of any magnitude. At least not the variety that can be picked up on radar by their local meteorologist. 

I'm going to leave you with some thoughts I recently read in a devotion written by Luci Swindoll:

"But all the difficulties that invade our peace are woven together by the loving hand of God to be fashioned into something good. Every detail is important to our Father. He knows our condition, our framework, and our areas of vulnerability and will never ask of us more than we can bear. Therefore we can be sure that, as His purpose unfolds hour by hour in our lives, He won't make a mistake."

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those people who have lost loved ones , lost their homes, their businesses, their towns that were completely wiped out....