"KEEP IT SPIRITUAL, SAINT!" with Pustor Tim Anderson STORM AHEAD After our wedding, my wife and I drove from Fort Wayne to my hometown in California, where I had a summer job offer before entering the seminary that fallI. I was no stranger to this long trek on I -80, but this time would be like no other. I remember telling Cindy that before leaving Utah we would be driving past the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway, known for land speed records. But instead of sighting fast moving vehicles, we saw a fast- moving cloud of dust blowing our way! Drivers intuitively turned on lights and emergency flashers and closely followed the next set of barely visible flashing lights, praying that the lead driver would take us all to safety. Cindy and I did not say much, in part because the sand beating against the car was deafening, but mostly out of fear. The current fearsome storm blowing through the United States reminds me of the relentless pounding of the wind during the sandstorm. This storm also comes in waves: first the pandemic and lock-down, now the rage and riots. We wish it would pass us by, but graffiti in the park and arrests on highway 30 in Kosciusko County tell us otherwise. We need a guiding Light-Someone to lead us through evil days. Before returning to Fort Wayne in 2013, I served alongside Pastor Gierke for over a decade in Fremont, Nebraska. I of ten heard him say in sermons and in person that Jesus has already gone ahead of us into our future, and now walks with us, assuring us that, having conquered what lies ahead, he will guide and protect us every step along the way-shining his Light to defeat the power and darkness of the Evil One. Remember, this same Jesus hung on the cross through those hours of spiritual darkness and storm, finally announcing for all time, "It is Finished!" Jesus has accomplished the ultimate spiritual victory over sin, death, and the power of the Devil for us, and now he protects us today. As the author of Hebrews proclaimed: "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who establishes and completes our faith. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God's throne. Even now, carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3) - Pastor Tim Lord, we earnestly pray for a Spiritual Awakening in our country. Amen. Trinity Lutheran - Culver September 2020 "KEEP IT SPIRITUAL, SAINT!" with Pustor Tim Anderson STORM AHEAD After our wedding, my wife and I drove from Fort Wayne to my hometown in California, where I had a summer job offer before entering the seminary that fallI. I was no stranger to this long trek on I -80, but this time would be like no other. I remember telling Cindy that before leaving Utah we would be driving past the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway, known for land speed records. But instead of sighting fast moving vehicles, we saw a fast- moving cloud of dust blowing our way! Drivers intuitively turned on lights and emergency flashers and closely followed the next set of barely visible flashing lights, praying that the lead driver would take us all to safety. Cindy and I did not say much, in part because the sand beating against the car was deafening, but mostly out of fear. The current fearsome storm blowing through the United States reminds me of the relentless pounding of the wind during the sandstorm. This storm also comes in waves: first the pandemic and lock-down, now the rage and riots. We wish it would pass us by, but graffiti in the park and arrests on highway 30 in Kosciusko County tell us otherwise. We need a guiding Light-Someone to lead us through evil days. Before returning to Fort Wayne in 2013, I served alongside Pastor Gierke for over a decade in Fremont, Nebraska. I of ten heard him say in sermons and in person that Jesus has already gone ahead of us into our future, and now walks with us, assuring us that, having conquered what lies ahead, he will guide and protect us every step along the way-shining his Light to defeat the power and darkness of the Evil One. Remember, this same Jesus hung on the cross through those hours of spiritual darkness and storm, finally announcing for all time, "It is Finished!" Jesus has accomplished the ultimate spiritual victory over sin, death, and the power of the Devil for us, and now he protects us today. As the author of Hebrews proclaimed: "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who establishes and completes our faith. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God's throne. Even now, carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3) - Pastor Tim Lord, we earnestly pray for a Spiritual Awakening in our country. Amen. Trinity Lutheran - Culver September 2020