Very early this morning I was awaken by some very serious gusts of wind and rain - it was so powerful that it sounded like somebody was outside with a fire hose spaying water directly on the side of the house. I knew that there had been predictions of rain overnight - but I had not been warned about the high winds. Since I was awake - I decided to look out the windows to see if we had lost any trees or large branches that would require my immediate attention. Seeing none - I managed to get back in bed and fall back to sleep. When I woke up later - I went outside to check out the rest of the property. To my surprise - and dismay - I saw my flag pole laying on its side across a bunch of bushes. As I inspected it to see what happened - it became obvious that one of those giant gusts of wind had created so much torque on the flag - that the flag had acted as a sail and the multi-part pole had been separated - thus allowing the remainder three-quarters to fall to the side. With a little bit of handiwork I was able to correct the problem and the flag once more is proudly flying.
As a mature Christian - when we come to an adult decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior - we experience many different things. Some emotional - some spiritual. On the spiritual side many report that they experience a "baptism in the spirit" in which - for perhaps the first time in their life - they know that God has and is filling them with a new outpouring of His Holy Spirit - a giant gust of new Spirit - filling their soul. This is the "born again" experience that so many people speak about. Nicodemus asked Jesus about this very concept - "was it possible to be born over again'? Jesus replied that unless that happens one cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (John 3:4-8) For those of us who have experienced that gust of God's Holy wind - we can testify to that truth - to those who have yet to share that experience - simply pray in earnest to God - come Holy Spirit come - fill my life with your heavenly gust of holy wind - that I too may enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Deacon Dale
Deacon Dale
