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Copyright 2000-2012 Life Assurance Ministries, Inc., Casa Grande, Arizona, USA. All rights reserved. Revised April 11, 2012. Contact email: proclamation@gmail.com
The rains came late this year. Normally February gives Southern California its greatest precipitation, but this winter we were dry and unseasonably warm—until March. As if making up for a lost season, spring has saturated us.
The undeveloped fields we have loved across the street have not fared well. Last summer the inevitable march of civilization claimed them, and raised graded lots ready for two-story houses now dominate our former view. Creating a system of sewers and drainage for 100+ houses built in rolling foothills, however, is no small feat of engineering.
Although the lots are ready for building, the catch-basins and drainage systems are not finished—nor, apparently, adequate. Today’s rainstorm was disastrous. A drainage pipe from an interior catch basin broke this afternoon, and a torrent of clay-filled water is still draining street-ward, flooding the lower portion of our yard, the vacant lot next to us, and spilling over into the neighbors’ property, flooding their garage and making a lake of their back yard.
Crews of workers in yellow slickers worked all day, attempting to dam the relentless flow of water. The tractor sent into the vacant lot next to us to dig drainage channels became mired up to its bumper in the oozy clay, listing to port until a caterpillar-driven scoop shovel finally helped pull it out.
The day’s work was apparently in vain; the flood of water is still flowing noisily across the street even though the rain has abated. This storm has brought us more than the April showers the May flowers need!
Resurrection Sunday, though, is coming. Every year we fill the house with Easter lilies and invite our Friday night FAF group over for brunch and our annual showing of The Visual Bible’s Matthew, starring Bruce Marchiano as Jesus. And every Easter evening, as the movie ends and the daylight fades, we blow our noses and wipe our eyes as we relive Jesus’ crucifixion and the miracle of His resurrection. Once again Jesus’ call to us to follow Him and to make disciples moves us beyond words.
It is this singular resurrection that has made possible the nourishing rain of the Holy Spirit’s gifts and power. Unlike the storm that wreaked havoc in the engineered hills across from us and spilled destruction into our neighbor’s yard, the latter rain begun at Pentecost brings new life to us and equips us with God’s power to do for Him what we could never do in our natural condition.
This Easter season we praise God for His faithfulness to hold our hearts in peace while storms we cannot control rage around us. We praise Him for providing what we need; and we praise Him for choosing us before creation to belong to Him.
Praise God for Resurrection Sunday! —Colleen Tinker, editor
