Tornado Warning Siren

It is just past Noon here at our hermitage. I had a particularly tiring night at work last night, and Shirley was working on things here, so we slept in very late this St. Patrick's Day. We had just finished Morning Prayer together out in the Bonny, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, when the Tornado Warning Siren went off.

They test it every Saturday at Noon--and the thing is mounted on a tall pole right outside our back yard ! As it sounded, being as we are in Lent, the Spirit brought to my mind and heart that our spiritual forefathers, the Israelites, were warned many times by the prophets that God's judgement upon them was impending. At times that warning from them was proclaimed in a loud voice, and at times it was loud in other ways--for instance, Ezekiel cooked his meal in public over crap. Jeremiah walked naked. God tried to get His people's attention. He wanted them to be close to Him, to walk in His ways, and to have His full blessing.

Recently, I was with Abbot Jim, our Abbot and Bishop, at his old home (he recently re-married and moved--his first wife passed due to a stroke). He made a statement to the effect that he wouldn't have wanted to be an Old Testament prophet--they lived pretty awful lives. Yet they were blessed in their obedience.

God uses ways to warn His people today. He gave us His written Word, the Bible, and our spiritual leaders. He wants to bless us and to fully give us His life in Jesus. But that is up to us.

This Lent, we should at times be still before the Lord, and ask Him to show us by His Spirit what things He wants to clean up in us, to make right. He wants to show us where we are sinning or making mistakes in our lives, so that we can receive forgiveness from Him, and live in His full, abundant life.

If I spend time with my wife, share my heart with her, do things for and with her that show my love for her, and tell her I love her often, we will have a good marriage, and our relationship as husband and wife will be good. It is the same with our God. So I pray that we may do that this Lenten season--draw close to Him, confess and receive His forgiveness for our sins, do things for and with Him that show Him we love Him, tell Him we love Him and give Him our praise, and our very lives, He will be with us and bless us. And He will make us happy. I pray that for my wife and myself, and for you who read this this Lent.

If you are in or near Oklahoma City we invite you to worship with us tomorrow at 10 am here at the hermitage.


br. francis