Welcome, God and All...
It has been an interesting time in my corner of the Kingdom of God on Planet Mother Earth. Just when one was beginning to sense that the pace of events was down to a mild roar and thus manageable, other events take place that shift the delicate balance and have me struggling to keep up. I am managing, but it's due to the grace of God and the presence of Jesus in my life.
The first surprise: About mid-May, my family and I started seeing utility markers on our lawns. A week later, with no announcement from the municipality, heavy construction equipment appeared in my neighborhood and proceeded to dig up the street for roughly five blocks. Three days into the project, I received in the mail the notification from the city. (Due to the inefficiencies of the postal system in the US of A, mail sent local for local delivery (same postal code) goes to a sorting center twenty miles away and then comes back for actual delivery.)
The project, which lasts the entire summer, is replacement of the storm and sanitary sewer system in this five-block area. Toward the beginning of the project, the water mains had to be shut off on three different occasions for an entire day each time. Following that, a boil order was issued until sampling indicated that the water was within tolerances and safe for drinking.
There have been a few occasions where equipment blocked access to our driveway. That's problematic because my sister and I both have some mobility issues. Distance, as well as the rougher terrain caused by digging up and barricading our street had us praying that such tasks would be short and manageable, which up to now have been. We've reached the point where over the next month the streets affected will be repaved and the smell of fresh asphalt will fill the hot, humid summer air.
Initially, so much dust got kicked up and got into our house (through the HVAC unit that, even with the windows closed) that we all came down with sinus and infections. This hit my son especially hard; he was coughing at times so much that I considered the possibility of having to take him to the emergency room at the hospital. Thankfully, that didn't happen - but as I said, we will soon be dealing with fresh asphalt being laid. It's not over yet, but we are managing with prayer and the grace of God.
A recent heat wave spawned about a week's worth of severe weather. You might have read about it, even if you're not from Chicagoland. There were 24 confirmed tornados over a two-night period, and on both nights the warning system was activated here. While the second night was worse overall, the first night was worse for us specifically as a tornado touched down less than five miles from us. With all the loose gravel and construction equipment, we feared we would suffer direct damage or power loss; and properties nearby did suffer damage, but we did not, again due to (I believe) the power of prayer, perseverance, and preparation.
You'd think that would be enough dramatic excitement for one summer, but there's more, and it challenges my sense of sanity. I have to chronicle these separately to keep this from becoming a novel. But as a teaser, as if you haven't guessed, other events, those of a spiritual nature, have surprised me. One encounter has the potential of closing a very important chapter in my pilgrim journey, while another left me asking myself what right I had, if any, to be an ambassador for Christ in any venue whatsoever. A third encounter has affirmed that God is not finished with me...yet, but am I up to the task?
More to come...until then, may God be with you and have mercy on us all...
+the Phoenix
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