It rained today. It almost never rains on the first day of school but it did this morning. Usually the school year begins in oppressive heat but today was much different. All the kids got to their places without any problems. Let's hope that is a good omen if you believe in such. It's been a long weekend with far too much tragedy that was so unexpected. We can pray that God will once again take bad and work it out for His good.

The short version is that our community is grieving since this past Saturday night. Two member of my congregation were in an awful automobile accident. You can read more about it over at News-Journal.Com. Somehow, I ended up being the person that paper is calling for information. It sounds fun that a media outlet wants to talk to you but it can also be stressful. Just pray that my answers are good enough without inflicting any other damage to the family. We lost a major supporter of our school in that wreck. His wife suffered multiple fractures but should fully recover over time. There are also the other family members that are torn apart by this event. A family and a community were forever altered as well as challenged in only a moment.

We covered the issue of trial and such recently. This event was not self inflicted but due to the situation of another driver behaving badly. Now a family lost a dad and husband while many people lost a friend. A father lost a son. Now we are challenged to produce a faith that is more than cliche but is authentic in its care. We can play a huge role in how God works to bring His good out of the worst. This is no time for pointing fingers in blame but it is a call to give beyond our usual limits. We must pray for everyone involved in this tragedy. President Lincoln often said that he could not judge or be critical of the South in the Civil War. His thesis was that even the Northern citizens were capable of cruelty if the situations were reversed. This is why we offer our prayers for all affected by this accident.

We often ration our prayers or ministry to those that we favor. We find it much easier to fix the blame for a problem rather than engage in the fullness of Christ as His person. We could say more but the hour is getting late. Let me end with a question. Can we not put aside our pettiness in relationships so we can pour God's love into others? One of the remarkable qualities of this man who died was how he poured his love into his children. They probably are not always perfect but he did express his love constantly. We might not be so petty or pouting if we chose to love first. It's how God loves us. It's how He said we are to love others. The real obstacle to love is less the behavior of another person but our heart that stays closed. This is a lesson my heart is learning in the last few days. Maybe you can discover it as well.

Bro. Trey