I woke up from a dead sleep, drenched with sweat, and with my heart trying to escape the tight confines of my chest. "Did I save her?" I wondered. I had dreamt that Angelina (my two year old daughter) and I were caught in a terrible storm that we could not escape. The storm produced a tornado that was so large that we would not have time to get around it. All we could do was wait and the wait seemed endless as the storm inched its way toward us. I decided to cover her with my body, to protect her from the debris in a last ditch effort to save her life. I was certain; however, that any efforts would be in vain. I was going to lose my life and likely the life of my baby girl. Still, I had to try--I had to do whatever I could to save my child. Then I woke up, not knowing how the dream ends.
We decided, as we often do, to do a little two day getaway. First we went to Valparaiso and thought about swimming in the Dunes; but, the extreme heat kept us inside of our hotel and enjoying the cool comfort of our indoor swimming pool. We had a great time as a family and made frequent pit stops to an amazing restaurant called J.D. Crepe Company, which serves the most chocolatey crepes in existence. While swimming, Angelina showed her excessive bravery by swimming up and down the length of the six foot deep waters in that pool. She was like a tiny little 3 foot version of Michael Phelps minus the dopamine, plus the sugar. We thought about staying an extra day; but, decided to make the two hour drive into Fort Wayne to check out the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and also see the area where my dad grew up. On the way to Fort Wayne, we passed an area that sounded very familiar to my theologically trained brain. It was called Winona Lake. I then recalled that Winona Lake was where pioneering evangelist Billy Sunday was from. There is a museum there inside Grace College and you can tour Billy Sunday's old home. I was enticed and we almost stopped in Winona Lake first; but, planned on coming back to it after the kids got their Fort Wayne Zoo fix. Although the heat was scorching, we had a good time at the zoo and were even able to feed a giraffe, something that one can not often say. The long slithering tongue of the giraffe could grab its food from roughly three feet away. We fed it huge shards of lettuce, which it devoured in no time at all. Then things started to become terrifying. The temperature dropped some fifteen to twenty degrees in the matter of minutes, as a violent storm front moved in over the zoo. I sensed danger, and much to their dismay, I rushed the family out of the zoo. Overhearing conversations about 60-70 mph winds also only intensified my need to get my wife & kids to safety. We rushed out of the zoo and decided to stop at a nearby restaurant called Famous Fish of Stroh. We took refuge there and enjoyed some great fish and chips. By the time we were all done eating, the storm had passed. At this time, we decided to head out to Winona Lake, get a room, and partake in all that is Billy Sunday. When we arrived at Winona Lake, all of the traffic lights were out and traffic was stop and go in the small town near Warsaw, IN. I arrived at the hotel and tried to acquire a room; but, the manager could not help me. He looked at me as if I were insane for asking for a room and he informed me that the power was out in the entire town. "That was odd," I thought. We decided to drive toward Grace College where the Billy Sunday Museum was. That's when my stomach began to turn. There were hundreds of trees uprooted, some as tall as 80 feet. We saw a swingset that had been ripped out of the ground and thrown into someone's front lawn. A few houses had trees for roofs and front poorches. The college itself was filled with tree branches and leaves. The entire community was darkened: no lights in any of the nearby restaurants or homes. It seemed as if the entire community was outside of their homes removing debris from their property or from a neighbor's. It looked like the war zones we far too often see on our television sets. Something terrible had just been through this town and we had barely missed it. I immediately thought tornado; but, had no way of knowing for sure. Needless to say, I was sick to my stomach at the carnage we had just barely avoided. We decided to call it a trip and make the four hour trek home. When we arrived at our humble adobe, exactly what we had avoided became all the more clear. Winona Lake was hit by a tornado. The storm was strong enough to uproot trees that had been in the community for nearly 100 years, trees nearly 100 feet high. It tore roofs off of homes and sent debris spiralling into people's front porches and front windows. Fort Wayne also experienced extremely high winds which were so serious that a gas station literally collapsed.
In my dream I could not escape; but, in this life God provided a way. If we had stayed in Winona Lake first, we would have been hit by the tornado. If we had stayed at the Fort Wayne Zoo any longer, we would have been hit with winds strong enough to tear a gas station down. One may call the events coincidence. One may call our complete avoidance of danger while danger loomed eerily over us coincidence; but, I know better. This was another case of God's divine intervention in my life. God saved us from this terrible storm, spared us from its wreckage and that is painfully obvious. The hands of Christ were upon us, guiding us, placing us in His embrace of safety at our every move. When I read the articles and looked at more pictures from the storm, my knees began to shake, my stomach began to turn, and my eyes became wet. What did I ever do to deserve God's love? The truth is: absolutely nothing. I don't deserve God's love; but, because His Son Jesus died on the cross to reunite sinners with God, He loves me no matter what I've done or what I do. I am reminded of the great verse in Scripture, "Who are we that He is mindful of us?" We are His saved and beloved children & while we weren't exactly worth dying for, Jesus did it anyway. I am reminded of all the times Jesus protects us throughout our everyday lives. This, for the most part, goes unnoticed; but, when we get to heaven and see things clearly, I am sure that we will be shocked at the number of times God saved, protected, and nourished our lives. God saves & I'm living proof.
We decided, as we often do, to do a little two day getaway. First we went to Valparaiso and thought about swimming in the Dunes; but, the extreme heat kept us inside of our hotel and enjoying the cool comfort of our indoor swimming pool. We had a great time as a family and made frequent pit stops to an amazing restaurant called J.D. Crepe Company, which serves the most chocolatey crepes in existence. While swimming, Angelina showed her excessive bravery by swimming up and down the length of the six foot deep waters in that pool. She was like a tiny little 3 foot version of Michael Phelps minus the dopamine, plus the sugar. We thought about staying an extra day; but, decided to make the two hour drive into Fort Wayne to check out the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo and also see the area where my dad grew up. On the way to Fort Wayne, we passed an area that sounded very familiar to my theologically trained brain. It was called Winona Lake. I then recalled that Winona Lake was where pioneering evangelist Billy Sunday was from. There is a museum there inside Grace College and you can tour Billy Sunday's old home. I was enticed and we almost stopped in Winona Lake first; but, planned on coming back to it after the kids got their Fort Wayne Zoo fix. Although the heat was scorching, we had a good time at the zoo and were even able to feed a giraffe, something that one can not often say. The long slithering tongue of the giraffe could grab its food from roughly three feet away. We fed it huge shards of lettuce, which it devoured in no time at all. Then things started to become terrifying. The temperature dropped some fifteen to twenty degrees in the matter of minutes, as a violent storm front moved in over the zoo. I sensed danger, and much to their dismay, I rushed the family out of the zoo. Overhearing conversations about 60-70 mph winds also only intensified my need to get my wife & kids to safety. We rushed out of the zoo and decided to stop at a nearby restaurant called Famous Fish of Stroh. We took refuge there and enjoyed some great fish and chips. By the time we were all done eating, the storm had passed. At this time, we decided to head out to Winona Lake, get a room, and partake in all that is Billy Sunday. When we arrived at Winona Lake, all of the traffic lights were out and traffic was stop and go in the small town near Warsaw, IN. I arrived at the hotel and tried to acquire a room; but, the manager could not help me. He looked at me as if I were insane for asking for a room and he informed me that the power was out in the entire town. "That was odd," I thought. We decided to drive toward Grace College where the Billy Sunday Museum was. That's when my stomach began to turn. There were hundreds of trees uprooted, some as tall as 80 feet. We saw a swingset that had been ripped out of the ground and thrown into someone's front lawn. A few houses had trees for roofs and front poorches. The college itself was filled with tree branches and leaves. The entire community was darkened: no lights in any of the nearby restaurants or homes. It seemed as if the entire community was outside of their homes removing debris from their property or from a neighbor's. It looked like the war zones we far too often see on our television sets. Something terrible had just been through this town and we had barely missed it. I immediately thought tornado; but, had no way of knowing for sure. Needless to say, I was sick to my stomach at the carnage we had just barely avoided. We decided to call it a trip and make the four hour trek home. When we arrived at our humble adobe, exactly what we had avoided became all the more clear. Winona Lake was hit by a tornado. The storm was strong enough to uproot trees that had been in the community for nearly 100 years, trees nearly 100 feet high. It tore roofs off of homes and sent debris spiralling into people's front porches and front windows. Fort Wayne also experienced extremely high winds which were so serious that a gas station literally collapsed.
In my dream I could not escape; but, in this life God provided a way. If we had stayed in Winona Lake first, we would have been hit by the tornado. If we had stayed at the Fort Wayne Zoo any longer, we would have been hit with winds strong enough to tear a gas station down. One may call the events coincidence. One may call our complete avoidance of danger while danger loomed eerily over us coincidence; but, I know better. This was another case of God's divine intervention in my life. God saved us from this terrible storm, spared us from its wreckage and that is painfully obvious. The hands of Christ were upon us, guiding us, placing us in His embrace of safety at our every move. When I read the articles and looked at more pictures from the storm, my knees began to shake, my stomach began to turn, and my eyes became wet. What did I ever do to deserve God's love? The truth is: absolutely nothing. I don't deserve God's love; but, because His Son Jesus died on the cross to reunite sinners with God, He loves me no matter what I've done or what I do. I am reminded of the great verse in Scripture, "Who are we that He is mindful of us?" We are His saved and beloved children & while we weren't exactly worth dying for, Jesus did it anyway. I am reminded of all the times Jesus protects us throughout our everyday lives. This, for the most part, goes unnoticed; but, when we get to heaven and see things clearly, I am sure that we will be shocked at the number of times God saved, protected, and nourished our lives. God saves & I'm living proof.
