Prayers in the Midst of Chaos
GCD Newsletter - June 29th 2023
It was a nice, sunny day when my wife received the alert on her phone: tornado warning…take shelter now! It had to be a mistake since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. However, as she looked out the window again, it immediately grew dark. It’s an eerie sight to see pitch black outside at noon. She immediately gathered the kids, grabbed their baseball helmets, and sheltered in the bathroom. After a few minutes, she decided to step out and take a brief look out the window. She saw the wind blow our large oak trees sideways like they were pool noodles. Frightened by the sheer power of the storm, she ran back to the bathroom and begin citing Scripture over our children as they waited for the storm to pass. An EF2 tornado was going through our town while my family took shelter.
I, on the other hand, was in the Andes Mountains of Peru ministering in a small village…seven hours from the nearest airport in Lima. The high altitude of my location caused the sun’s intensity to pierce through the blue sky and warm my skin as I received messages from my wife: “It’s bad babe.” Miles from home, I felt so helpless. Doubts started to form in my mind on whether I should ever travel so far from home. All I could do was plead to the Lord for mercy.
Thankfully, the Lord showed his mercy. The storm damaged many trees and we didn’t have electricity for a week (in the blazing Texas heat), but thankfully nobody in our area was seriously injured. God was gracious.
But, in that moment I felt totally helpless. The reality is I’m always helpless, I’m just not always as aware of it. Thankfully, our Almighty God is always with us, whether we are in a remote village high in the mountains or in the center of the swirling storm. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, our Shepherd protects and comforts us. Rest in his grace and power this week!
Last Week at GCDiscipleship.com
A Case for Co-Leadership (Part I) by John Beeson
“Have you ever considered co-leadership in your church or even your business? Let me make a case for some of the benefits of such an arrangement. Most of what I want to say pertains to leadership in the church but could have meaningful carryover to other businesses. In the next article, I will provide some cautions.”
A Case for Co-Leadership (Part II) by John Beeson
“While I believe plurality of leadership is biblical among the pastor-elders of a church, I certainly don’t believe that co-leadership with two lead pastors is usually the best situation for most organizations. For co-leadership to work, there must be a delicate balance of sameness and difference with a foundation of trust and character.”
Letters to the Editor
We’d love to hear from you. Please send feedback about our articles (or anything else!) to our managing editor at Benjamin@GCDiscipleship.com. And if you’ll allow us, we’ll share your comments in future emails.
In Christ,
James Williams
James Williams serves as associate pastor at FBC Atlanta, TX. James and his wife, Jenny, are blessed with four children and are actively involved in foster care. He is passionate about beholding the beauty of our Lord and helping others do the same. He enjoys writing, running, and gardening. You can follow James Twitter or his blog where he writes regularly.