Yesterday, an unprecedented event happened in Charlotte. It hailed! What is hail you ask well... here is the definition from weather.about.com
Definition: Hail is a form of precipitation that falls from the sky as pellets of ice. The pellets can range in size from small pea-sized pellets, to hailstones as large as grapefruits. Hail is especially damaging to crops. In the central US, where many hail storms are reported each year, delicate wheats and other crops are often ruined. Annually, hail can cause over 1 billion dollars in damages. http://weather.about.com/od/h/g/hail.htm
My iphone couldnt take any pictures of the hail but I got some great shots of the sky!
This line of storms had a lot of circulation in it and while taking the last pic the darker part was spinning and actually started moving toward the ground. ( this was during a tornado warning I might add) so I was a little scared but excited cause I love thunderstorms even though they scare the bajeepers out of me (yes I know I just made that word up but hey it works for my application.
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.
Definition: Hail is a form of precipitation that falls from the sky as pellets of ice. The pellets can range in size from small pea-sized pellets, to hailstones as large as grapefruits. Hail is especially damaging to crops. In the central US, where many hail storms are reported each year, delicate wheats and other crops are often ruined. Annually, hail can cause over 1 billion dollars in damages. http://weather.about.com/od/h/g/hail.htm
My iphone couldnt take any pictures of the hail but I got some great shots of the sky!
This relates to my blog theme because Thunderstorms are something we give little credit to. If a storm happens we just go inside and go about our day and get busy with something else but storms like these demand attention, they demand we stop whatever we are doing and pay attention. Most people say that they never hear God speak to them, but what if he does and we are just too busy with our lives to pay attention? .... or we are so selfish that we always think God is speaking but hes speaking to those who really need to hear him. I think God does speak through storms like these. In them he says that he is powerful, he is the only one to be worshipped, and he is a dangerous foe to have. Its better to have the maker of the storm on your side.
I was reminded about the passage we studied in church from Exodus 20 after God gave the people of Israel the Ten Commandments:
18 When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.
19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.
Exodus 20:18-21(NLT)
Maybe its a good thing that we fear God every once in a while. Thunderstorms and hurricanes and other natural disasters seem to knock us off of our pedestals and back into our rightful place - recognizing the frailty and the shortness of what we call life. It gets us to put into perspective everything we hold dear and important, and asks us if they are really that important to us, and it gets people like you and me in the right potter-clay relationship with God. Not that God is at all distant or any less loving or forgiving but rather we should know our God isnt a wimp, hes not a coward, and he isnt afraid of anybody or anything. He is awe-some.
Perfection post! So no longer hiding under a mattress during storms? Now you are outside taking pictures. You may have left Oklahoma but Oklahoma obviously hasn't left you!
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