The Hope in Every Storm

I grew up attending summer camps throughout the Midwest as my dad was a Pastor and recognized the power of a Christ-centered camp experience for children and youth in their formative years. My fondest memories of summer camp include recreation activities (such as canoeing, softball, and bonfires), counselors (whose faces I can still see in my mind!), and funny speakers who creatively weaved the gospel of Jesus Christ into their messages.

One year, I was out on a canoe at Camp Pomme de Terre, in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, with another camper, when a storm quickly came over the lake with high winds. No matter how hard my camper friend and I paddled, we could not get the canoe to go in the right direction; we were getting blown further and further away from the shore. I remember beginning to feel panicked as fear filled my heart. The wind was whipping all around us, and we couldn’t see well as the storm rolled in with dark, heavy clouds at the same time. I remembered thinking I didn’t want to fall into the lake because of the known copperheads in the area. It is a silly thing to remember, but that was another fear for me. We kept trying to paddle and turn our canoe around with no success, when a fishing boat came alongside us and tied a red rope to our canoe and brought us safely to shore. We were still ducking for cover as we got out of the canoe, but I will NEVER forget the feeling of being rescued by the fishing boat. I will NEVER forget the red rope that attached to our canoe, turning us around against the wind and back to safety.
The red rope represents a lifeline to me. Have you ever had someone extend a red rope to you?
This past weekend we invited you to be a part of One Day Weekend. At Timberline Church we are intentionally setting aside time to highlight our partners in ministries and ask our Timberline family to prayerfully consider giving one day of your annual salary to support them. Each of these organizations is extending a red rope to those experiencing the impact of a natural disaster and/or who are in a situation where they are experiencing food disparity.

When our newsfeed was filled to overflowing with news from Texas of the horrendous flood that overcame sweet, beautiful girls at a church camp, our hearts were filled with grief over this tremendous loss. We didn’t need to know them to feel this loss. Our partners at Convoy of Hope were quick to respond to Kerrville with much-needed supplies and care for the community.
A few days later, a massive flood hit Ruidoso, NM. Our partner SERVE 6.8 was quick to respond to this region, providing immediate relief supplies and feeding efforts through their mobile feeding kitchen for those impacted by this natural disaster.
Every day in Colorado, our partners at Harvest Farm serve men experiencing homelessness, addiction, and food disparity. Providing not only a place to live, sleep, eat, and work, they introduce them to Jesus – the One who brings light to the dark places of our lives.
Jesus Christ is the hope in “Every Storm” – allowing and inviting us to be a part of the response and care for those experiencing a natural disaster or life crisis, leading to food insecurity. We don’t need to know them to respond – compassion and obedience to God’s invitation is what leads us.
As in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), Jesus is reminding us to be watchful for those in need around us and respond with action and care.
I want to invite you to prayerfully consider giving “One Day” of your annual salary to help our partners as they extend a red rope to those who need to be brought safely to shore. or learn more.
My prayer for us today is that we would ask God to open our eyes to what is happening around us and be quick to respond as He leads us.

Kari Stewart, Missions Pastor