So, how was your week?

Wow, it’s been almost a week since I updated. I try not to go so far between updates, but time flies when you’re busy like a bee (or lazy like a ….llama).

What a crazy week it has been. FYI, this post will be a mix of heavy and light.

I guess I’ll start with the light stuff. I got new glasses Friday. I like them. I’ll include a picture. When I got in the car from picking them up The Boy said, “Heh, you got emo glasses.” I’m still not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Sunday I heard a comparison to Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer). Yesterday my dad called me Jim Cantorre. I guess I can live with any of those comparisons. I told Misty that I’m not sure I can keep these glasses if I grow my hair back. I think these are bald guy glasses.

I know I talked a little about the storms last week, but I have to share some more. I cannot believe the devastation these tornadoes wrought on Alabama. I had to stop watching the news coverage. It’s just too much. My heart goes out to all of those who lost loved ones, homes, etc. in the storms.

I know one of the results of last week’s events will be lots of questions. “Where is God in all of the destruction?” “How can a loving God let this happen?” And so on. I’m not sure I have the answers. One thing I do know is that God did not make this happen. These storms were not sent as divine punishment. I wish I could remember my prayer from Sunday morning. I don’t know if it was helpful or not, but the words felt good to me at the time. I do remember the words from the Canadian Creed we used: “In life, in death, in life beyond death; God is with us.” There’s the take away. I can only offer this: God loves us. God mourns the lost along side us. God is big enough to handle your questions. God is big enough to handle your doubts and your anger.

I spent Saturday morning helping clean up around Edgemont UMC. We had a couple of trees fall during last Wednesday’s storms. I helped haul the pieces to the road as others cut them up. After that I went to Moulton to take some gasoline to Mt. Moriah UMC. (This is the church where I will serve starting in June.) The storm that went through Hackleburg and Phil Campbell passed almost directly behind the church building. It knocked down several trees, but none damaged the church. The storm killed two church members when it destroyed their home.

I took some pictures on the way home. This picture is from the intersection of County Rd 244 and Highway 157. The picture on the left is the ‘Streetview’ picture from Google maps. On the right is the picture I took Saturday.

Sunday I went to give blood. If you have not done so and you are able, please do. There is an urgent need for all blood types.

I guess that’s all of the news for this week. I can’t think of anything else significant that happened this week. Oh yeah, Osama Bin Laden. I’m not sure what I think about that just yet. I didn’t like the celebrations. (Though I was a little more tolerant of the one at the WTC site than at the White House.) It seemed more than ironic to me that we spent the morning lamenting death and so many spent the evening celebrating it. This is strictly my opinion, but I think that to God, death is death. No matter who is killed, they are one of his children. Whether it’s a tragic storm or a coordinated military attack, God mourns the loss of his children. I can’t celebrate what God mourns.