Grace like rain

It should be said that I LOVE thunderstorms. And tonight, my friends, we had a doozy. I was out with a friend for dinner and when we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, the rain was so thick you could barely see across the street. Being the gentleman that he is, he offered to go get the car to pick me up. I just looked at him and said, "Are you crazy? I live for this! I love walking in the rain!!" Some of my favorite memories from college are when Ali and I would drop whatever we were doing and go for a walk in the rain. Oftentimes when it is raining here, I long for Ali to be close by so we can go for a walk. There is absolutely nothing sweeter than going for a walk in the rain with a dear friend. (Or a bike ride as the case may be, right Courts?) :)

Just looking around on the Internet for pictures to post, I found some amazing ones. And you would think, being an IP Paralegal and all, that I would know the copyright rules about posting someone else's picture on your sight, but I don't. But for a really cool collection of lightning photos, check out this website. My personal favorite is in the bottom row in the middle. Quite possibly the best photo of lightning I've ever seen.

Why do I love thunderstorms so much, you may be asking? The bold and awesome display of God's amazing power and the reality of His ability to smite us without a given notice. I remember one night, before Mikki got married, we were both staying the night at my parent's house. They live up on a hill with very few trees around and there was a MASSIVE thunderstorm going on. I crept into Mikki's room at about 2 or 3 am to see if she was awake and I found her sitting in her window seat watching the storm. I went over and sat next to her and we just sat there in silence for maybe an hour or so....In awesome amazement of God's strength and power displayed through such glory that still makes me weak. It is so amazing to me that the most damaging and powerful storms we face in the Midwest are also the storms that nourish the ground and enable life to grow more abundantly.

And you know what I love most about huge thunderstorms or even tornadoes? The morning after. What's the first thing you hear when you step outside? The songs of the birds. Even though the birds arguably have the most vulnerable position in which to weather the storm and are undoubtedly having to face damaged homes and injuries, the greet the morning with a song. The air is fresh, the grass is green, and brightness of the sun makes you forget just how dark the night was.

"Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you." Psalm 84:4