Quick reflections on Hurricane Milton

Ever been through a hurricane? In this episode, Dr. Kenny Embry gets real about riding out Hurricane Milton and what it taught him about faith, priorities, and the true meaning of being blessed. Hint: it's not just about dodging the damage! Join us as we explore how to find strength in the storm, step up for others, and remember what really matters when life throws a curveball. You might be surprised by what God shows you in the aftermath.

Key Takeaways:

• True Blessing is Found in Serving Others: Dr. Embry challenges the notion that being spared from a storm equates to being "blessed" by God. Instead, he emphasizes the opportunity to demonstrate God's love by serving those in need, particularly during times of crisis.
• Strength Emerges in Adversity: The experience of facing a hurricane can reveal inner strength and resilience that we may not have known we possessed. Dr. Embry encourages listeners to recognize the ways in which God provides strength and support during challenging times.
• God's Power and Love are Constant: Even in the midst of chaos and destruction, God remains in control. Dr. Embry emphasizes the importance of remembering God's power over all circumstances and his unwavering love and concern for his children.
• Storms Reveal What Truly Matters: Hurricanes and other trials can force us to re-evaluate our priorities and focus on what is truly important. Dr. Embry highlights the value of relationships and our connection to God, reminding us to let go of material possessions and embrace the things that truly matter.

Memorable Quotes:

• "Christians change things for the better. They don't just admire those who take actions. They are in the arena."
• "Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes God calms his children."
• "Relationships are always more important than things."
• "At a time when people have lost so much, God calls us to be grateful. He calls us to be helpful. He calls us to let go of things not worth holding onto."

Applications:

• Take Action to Help Others: Reach out to friends, family, or neighbors affected by the hurricane and offer support. This could involve financial assistance, practical help, or simply a listening ear and words of encouragement.
• Reflect on Your Own Experiences: Consider how you have experienced God's strength and presence in your own life, particularly during challenging times. Journal about these experiences and the lessons you have learned.
• Re-evaluate Your Priorities: Take time to assess what truly matters in your life. Focus on nurturing your relationships and deepening your connection with God.
• Practice Gratitude: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, even in the face of adversity. Thank God for the blessings in your life and the opportunities to serve others.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode of Balancing the Christian Life, we
talk about trusting God in ahurricane.
Welcome to Balancing theChristian Life.
I'm Dr Kenny Embry.
Join me as we discover how tobe better Christians and people
in the digital age.
To start off, answering thequestion I have answered dozens

(00:22):
of times we're fine.
As Floridians, we get used tohurricane warnings.
Tampa Bay, where I am, hasn'tbeen widely affected by a
hurricane in over 100 years.
Well, with Hurricane Milton,that changed.
Most severe weather stays offthe coast or devastates
beachfront property.
Katie and I have never beenwealthy enough to worry about

(00:43):
getting a lot of damage.
We live about 35 miles inland,which is too far for hurricanes
like Colleen or Irma or severalothers to reach, but as the
projections kept coming in, Iknew we weren't going to dodge
this storm.
About seven years ago in 2017, Iconvinced Katie to evacuate
from Hurricane Irma.
When we returned a few dayslater, our house hadn't even

(01:13):
lost power, much less any damage.
In the time since, she'sreminded me, most of Tampa is
never in real danger, but thistime I looked at her and said
look, I feel pretty confident.
We will probably be okay if westay, but I know we'll be okay
if we leave.
She didn't want to leave, butwhen I said that she simply
asked how soon I wanted to goCould we leave in an hour?

(01:36):
She sent a couple of textmessages to line up our
accommodations and within 45minutes we were on the road.
Katie and I will probablyalways have this disagreement,
which I appreciate.
She makes me slow down longenough to reconsider my
decisions and often I go withher gut, but this time she knew

(01:57):
I wouldn't let her win.
I appreciate that about her.
I posted something online sayingwe needed to postpone our
conference.
Everyone was understanding andnobody disagreed with that call.
When I posted the postponementon Facebook, I reminded everyone
God was in control and askingfor his blessing.
Then we got in the car andheaded for the panhandle.

(02:20):
We saw my daughter and herhusband, spent some time with
his family and checked on thehouse occasionally with the
cameras we had installed a fewyears ago.
When we got back home two dayslater, we lost a couple of trees
.
The power was out for about aday, but otherwise the damage
was minimal.
But we only had to look aneighborhood over to see roads

(02:42):
gone, houses flooded and peoplewho needed help.
Many lost so much, while wewere largely spared.
I've got good friends who nolonger have a house.
I have other friends whoseentire first floor is basically
flooded.

(03:02):
If you ask Christians, somemight say we were blessed, we
dodged a bullet and undoubtedlythat meant God had our back.
But I'm not sure.
I believe that.
I don't know if God meant tokeep us from suffering while our
neighbors weren't blessedbecause they lost so much.
When you put it like that, Idon't think anybody would say

(03:25):
because we didn't sustain a lotof property damage, god was on
our side.
Look, that was the argument ofJob's friends.
Job was only suffering becausehe had done something terrible.
But we already know that's notwhat was going on.
So let me draw a fewconclusions from being in a

(03:45):
hurricane.
First, one of the true blessingsof Hurricane Milton has been
finding ways to make adifference to others.
For years I've ended everypodcast with be good and do good
.
Christianity includes bothcharacter and behavior.

(04:06):
At times like this, christiansdo good stuff.
In James we're told that truereligion includes helping people
who need help.
Specifically it calls outwidows and orphans.
But Jesus' parable of the GoodSamaritan, tells us plainly a
Christian's responsibility is tohelp people he can help.

(04:29):
I've reached out to some friendsand people nearby and pitched
in where I could, but I'm notinterested in talking about me.
Let me challenge you with thesame challenge God does.
What will you do to help?
And please don't wait for agovernment agency or group of
elders or a neighborhood programto do the work for you.

(04:52):
If you have friends in Tampa,reach out to those friends and
help them.
It can be money, but the needsof hurting people aren't just
cash.
It can include interest, aprayer, a meal, an encouraging
word.
It doesn't need to lower yourbank account one cent, but it

(05:13):
does need to help someone elsein a way that others know.
Christians have been here.
I know I'm taking advantage ofthis tragedy because this
literally hits home for me, butChristians change things for the
better.
They don't just admire thosewho take action.

(05:39):
No-transcript, christians aren'tbystanders, they are
participants.
So what specifically will youdo to help?
Second, where do you see God?
For as long as God has hadfollowers, his followers have

(06:00):
suffered.
Righteous Jews suffered,christians suffered, abel
suffered, abraham suffered,righteous Jews suffered,
christians suffered, Abelsuffered, abraham suffered,
elijah suffered, ezekielsuffered, john the Baptist
suffered, jesus suffered.
At every time, people who loveGod keep suffering, sometimes

(06:23):
because they are being righteous, sometimes because of something
not their fault and sometimesbecause they were doing
something stupid.
David suffered both because hewas innocent and because he was
guilty.
But what did he do with thatsuffering?
When he was being pursued bySaul, david trusted God.

(06:47):
When he was convicted by Nathanfor cheating with Bathsheba and
killing her husband, david cameback to God.
When he was being pursued byhis son, absalom, david again
trusted God, no matter what theproblem was or what bonehead was
making life difficult.

(07:07):
David turned that into a betterrelationship with God.
James 1.12 says blessed is theone who perseveres under trial
because, having stood the test,that person will receive the
crown of life that the Lord haspromised to those who love him.

(07:28):
Good, righteous, good righteouspeople were hurt by Hurricane
Milton, as well as atheists andpeople of every religious
persuasion.
Suffering is everywhere, mostlybecause weakness is everywhere
is everywhere, mostly becauseweakness is everywhere.

(07:49):
We couldn't keep HurricaneMilton from coming to Tampa,
much as we couldn't keep Helenefrom North Carolina or any other
tragedy from happening.
But because we do suffer,because we are powerless, it
should help us recognize who hasreal power.
Look, there are many things youshould remember.
First, god is in control of allweather and the outcome of all

(08:14):
weather.
Sometimes God calms the stormand sometimes God calms his
children.
I was listening to an interviewwith a popular conservative talk
show host and in the course ofthe conversation he talked about
being bullied as a child.
He was a scrawny kid who waseasy to pick on.
The person interviewing himasked how that affected him and

(08:36):
he talked about the positivelessons he learned.
He would write elsewhere aboutthis quote.
No child should have to bebullied and if someone ever
tries to bully my kids I'll stepin with the full range of
possibilities at my disposal.
But being bullied can have twopossible effects you can learn

(08:59):
to stand up and cope, or youlearn to identify as a victim.
If you can hold your head uphigh even while you're being
bullied, you're likely to live astronger, happier, fuller life.
You'll be able to better dealwith the vicissitudes life has
to offer.
We should also worry about howvictims treat their victimhood

(09:24):
and how they can turn thatvictimhood into strength for the
long haul.
Again, in violent weather and inviolent relationships, god is
in control.
He's stronger than any storm.
He's stronger than any bully.
He is bigger than any problemwe have.

(09:45):
But the second thing toremember is the one with all the
power has an unending love andconcern for you.
God knows we're in a storm.
He knows we suffer.
Christians, at all times and inall suffering, find the

(10:06):
strength and love of God.
Finally, storms help us seewhat's really important.
My wife still thinks we shouldhave stayed in Tampa.
She always will.
I know.
When there's another storm shewill remind me about this one.
But during this crisis Ilearned again that when it was

(10:30):
important to me that we leave,katie had a bad pact and was out
the door within the hour.
When we disagreed, shesupported me because she loves
me.
Yes, I think she's wrong.
I think we were better offleaving.
Sometimes she wins the fightsand sometimes I do, but if she

(10:51):
wins or I win, ultimately it'snot that important.
What is important is when adecision is made, we've got our
bags packed.
We may be pulling together aplan B, but we are together.
As I watched the wind out thewindow five hours away through

(11:11):
my phone, I was safe with mywife and children.
The people I loved were safeand near.
The house is nice, but it'sreplaceable.
Relationships are always moreimportant than things, and
that's a pretty easy lesson tolearn.
But even those importantrelationships are only shadows

(11:33):
of the relationship.
That makes the others pale incomparison.
James 1.17 says Every good andperfect gift is from above.
The relationship we have withGod isn't affected by Hurricane
Milton, but it's a good reminderAt a time when people have lost

(11:53):
so much.
God calls us to be grateful.
He calls us to be grateful.
He calls us to be helpful.
He calls us to let go of thingsnot worth holding on to because
ultimately they aren't all thatimportant.
We have some work to do becauseof Hurricane Milton, but it
could have been worse.

(12:13):
But it could have been worse.
It's important to remember thatGod has now given us an
opportunity to act likeChristians.
God reminded us he isall-powerful and all-loving and
he has helped us to see oncemore some things are simply not

(12:35):
very important, even when theyfeel like it.
So, yes, we weathered HurricaneMilton just fine Last week.
Ironically, the day before weevacuated to be out of Milton's
path, I spoke with KeithStonehart about what sin is and
why it's a big deal.

(12:56):
I also still have an interviewwith Andrew Roberts about
worshiping God with song.
We'll get to that.
But in the meantime, pray forpeople who have been affected by
the tragedies that we've allwatched.
Help them, and if you can thinkof a way that I can help them,
please get in touch with me.
I'm happy to do what I can helpthem.

(13:17):
Please get in touch with me.
I'm happy to do what I can.
We are all stronger because ofthis.
It's not fun, but it isimportant and it is
strengthening.
So until next time, let's begood and do good.