Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
Sometimes when it rains, it pours.
You just don't expect it to be pouring...
INSIDE your house.
My addition project to my home
began with the gutting of the master bedroom and bath.
It was the beginning of what will be a 12 month project.
When I removed the clothes from the closet,
I noticed some faint but defined marks of water on the back walls.
I made note of it,
but didn't think too much of it.
As I began to demolish the closet,
I then felt the back flooring of the closet begin to give way.
Urgency ensued.
I began ripping at the wall to see what was hidden.
As I removed the back wall of the closet,
I gasped.
The interior of the wall and the foundation were compromised......badly.
I hadn't seen anything this bad since a mission trip to hurricane ravaged New Orleans.
This water had been invading for years,
and I had no clue.
Mold....mildew.........water soaked lumber........
I continued to remove the wall surface....
3 feet......6 feet.....12 feet.........
20 feet.
20 feet of compromised wall,
20 feet of wall that was bearing the weight of the house roof.
Sleep for the most part escaped me that night,
as anxiety and worry crept in.
To add insult to injury,
a long heavy rain came through the night
to further remind me that my home
was not the shelter that I believed it to be.
Prayers were uttered as I hoped to fall asleep.
Prayers for the peace of Christ to rule,
for courage, for trust.......
Somehow, things seemed far scarier at 3am than they do at 3pm.
They always do.
Erma once said,
It always seems darker
just before they turn the lights on.
The next day,
as I told my story,
the lights began to turn on.
The lights came in the form of friends,
both old and new,
who offered their time, their tools, their energy, their skills,
The task was daunting.
The roof beams were elevated
to replace the walls one section at a time.
10 days
working whenever time would allow....
often working deep into the night.
A rotation of friends who could have easily looked the other way,
Difficult circumstances
are God moments.
Though not welcomed nor sought out,
they are invitations for the Divine to speak and act.
They are moments in retrospect,
when we can see God's faithfulness.
They are moments
when we can choose to grow in faith.
They are moments
when we can be the hands and heart of God in another's life.
10 days later,
and there is still much to do.
But once again,
my hope, peace, and courage are restored.
Sometimes, when it rains, it pours.
But God is faithful to give us a very big umbrella.
A special thank you to the umbrellas in my life named
Charlie, Randy, Jessie, and Bob.
and to the many others that prayed me through this time.
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:7
Sometimes when it rains, it pours.
You just don't expect it to be pouring...
INSIDE your house.
My addition project to my home
began with the gutting of the master bedroom and bath.
It was the beginning of what will be a 12 month project.
When I removed the clothes from the closet,
I noticed some faint but defined marks of water on the back walls.
I made note of it,
but didn't think too much of it.
As I began to demolish the closet,
I then felt the back flooring of the closet begin to give way.
Urgency ensued.
I began ripping at the wall to see what was hidden.
As I removed the back wall of the closet,
I gasped.
The interior of the wall and the foundation were compromised......badly.
I hadn't seen anything this bad since a mission trip to hurricane ravaged New Orleans.
This water had been invading for years,
and I had no clue.
Mold....mildew.........water soaked lumber........
I continued to remove the wall surface....
3 feet......6 feet.....12 feet.........
20 feet.
20 feet of compromised wall,
20 feet of wall that was bearing the weight of the house roof.
Sleep for the most part escaped me that night,
as anxiety and worry crept in.
To add insult to injury,
a long heavy rain came through the night
to further remind me that my home
was not the shelter that I believed it to be.
Prayers were uttered as I hoped to fall asleep.
Prayers for the peace of Christ to rule,
for courage, for trust.......
Somehow, things seemed far scarier at 3am than they do at 3pm.
They always do.
Erma once said,
It always seems darker
just before they turn the lights on.
The next day,
as I told my story,
the lights began to turn on.
The lights came in the form of friends,
both old and new,
who offered their time, their tools, their energy, their skills,
The task was daunting.
The roof beams were elevated
to replace the walls one section at a time.
10 days
working whenever time would allow....
often working deep into the night.
A rotation of friends who could have easily looked the other way,
Difficult circumstances
are God moments.
Though not welcomed nor sought out,
they are invitations for the Divine to speak and act.
They are moments in retrospect,
when we can see God's faithfulness.
They are moments
when we can choose to grow in faith.
They are moments
when we can be the hands and heart of God in another's life.
10 days later,
and there is still much to do.
But once again,
my hope, peace, and courage are restored.
Sometimes, when it rains, it pours.
But God is faithful to give us a very big umbrella.
A special thank you to the umbrellas in my life named
Charlie, Randy, Jessie, and Bob.
and to the many others that prayed me through this time.
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:7
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