One afternoon, thunderstorms surrounded Linden
As the lightning grew intense, I realized that just about
the time that the fire was perfect for grilling, I might become a
lightning rod and I would be grilled. A
grill underneath big oak trees is not the ideal place to be when lightning is
imminent.
The ground trembled as lighting created a brilliant streak
just beyond Linden Baptist. It was
spectacular. The next day, my neighbor
said he saw the same flash of lightning.
He said the lightning hit with a burst of fire and smoke.
Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder and the rain
started to fall. I told my son Aaron to
get a couple of umbrellas and to bring the meat. I covered the bed of coals and the meat with
a piece of tin as the rain intensified.
Lightning continued to dance around Linden MAN STRUCK
BY LIGHTNING,” rather than “FATHER AND
SON STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.” He worried more about objects falling from
the tree on the meat than lightning striking us.
As the lightning subsided, the rain got harder. I told Aaron that it reminded me of the night
my dad and I set a pole for an electrical service for a house I was about to build.
To have an electrical power source for contractors, the
power company required that I have an electrical box with a disconnect switch
mounted on plywood on a pole. My dad
told me he would help me put it up when we got in from work. We did not know when we started that there
would be a thunderstorm while we were setting the pole.
We had just tamped the pole into place when the thunderstorm
erupted. Lightning was popping in the
area and the rain started to fall.
People who are experts, you know how experts are; remind us if one can
hear thunder, one can be hit by lightning.
Well, the thunder was pretty loud and close. Just about the time daddy started screwing
the electrical control box on the plywood, it started to rain harder. I can still see daddy’s big hands holding the
screwdriver and twisting the screws in the back of the box into the plywood. As usual, I was holding something for
daddy. This usually meant that he would
say, “Hold it still son.” I had to hold
it still regardless of how uncomfortable, awkward, cold, or hot the object or I
were. I miss those days with dad, but
relive them with Aaron. Now, Aaron holds
for me although sometimes I hold for Aaron.
He is so much like dad, a man whom he has never met.
Bad weather terrified momma, but bad weather did not bother
daddy. Daddy taught us to respect the
weather, but never to fear it. Daddy
loved to hear the thunder and see the lightning. He reminded us that it was a sign of how
powerful God is. He would say when God
got ready for you, it did not matter where you were or what you were doing, it was
your time. Momma agreed, but reminded
him not to tempt the Lord and that God gave him enough sense to take cover when
it stormed. So, when it stormed, momma
went to hide and daddy and the boys went outside to watch.
I think we were all anticipating the Lord wiping back the
thunderstorms and opening a beautiful blue sky as He did when the disciples
were in one of those violent thunderstorms on the Sea of
Galilee . There is also a
calming effect when a child sees courage in his dad. Dad did know when to make us go inside if he
thought we might be injured. I do not
know if momma knew it or not, but dad would say that we were not to tempt the
Lord and that the Lord gave us a head to think.
I thank God that He gave me a dad who acknowledged the
awesome power of God in thunder and lightning.
Dad also acknowledged the greatest power is the power of salvation. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
The voice of thy
thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth
trembled and shook (Psalm 77:18 KJV).
For as the lightning
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:27 KJV)
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