The Awakening Day

It was a great picture driving to seminary yesterday morning. It was before sunrise, as the sky was getting lighter. A storm system was in the distance, I was heading toward it, but was not going to reach it. I could see flashes of lightning from time to time. One of the clouds was back lit by the rising sun, a real dark cloud with a cool patch of light behind it, hotter flashes of lightning around it. Skyline of Dallas off to the side.

I wish I had a camera. It was one of those views in which you say, "Oh yeah, there is a God out there and He is a spectacular creator". (The sky, clouds and storm part, not the Dallas part)

Here I am heading off to seminary and seemingly heading towards my Creator. A great mental picture to start the day. I was not heading towards a storm, I was heading towards the heavens. I was not in my car, I was gliding towards Him.

And then I got to go study the Word.

It does not get much better than that as a way to start the day.

The Edge of a Storm

I can remember once driving in the car with my parents as a kid during a rainstorm. As we drove we came to the edge of the storm because suddenly it was raining on one corner but not on the other. I remember looking out the back window and seeing it still raining on the corner we just passed. That was the only time I can recall driving through the edge of a rainstorm, but I guess all storms have borders.

I am in a class at seminary on evangelism and the concept of evangelism reminds me of a storm. I have come in from the rain, accepting Jesus as the Lord of my life and my Savior. I feel I am standing on the edge of the stormy world, and I need to go back out into the rain to help bring others into the sunshine. Being a stormy environment, the world is not the friendliest place for this type of activity. But I need to plunge in, for I have probably stayed on the dry, safe ground for far too long already. It is so easy to fall into our own comfort zone and to try to forget the trials of the world and the challenges placed before us. Sharing Jesus should be the primary passion in our life. If you are born again of the Spirit, you already have a heart for evangelism, but maybe it is crusted over or needs a little jolt to start beating hard again.

I know the effort is not mine alone, Jesus commanded to all the Lord's children in Matthew 28:19-20. I know I am not alone because the Spirit within me is what will make the effort bear fruit. But I need to take the step to start; a friend once told me the Lord cannot drive a parked car. So I guess I need to put the key in the ignition. And I need to get ready to get wet.