My friends, Andy and Cheryl Matthews and their family had to make some radical adjustments last week. As it was raining buckets early Monday afternoon and the schools were dismissing; so Andy began the rounds to pick up Cheryl; their son, Ben and their exchange student, Luke. Everything was fine when Andy left the house. Two and a half hours later they returned to see rescuers bringing out Andy’s mom, Alta, in a flat bottom boat. Everything was ruined.
They spent a couple of days in a hotel and have now moved into the second story of Rick & Belinda Carpenter’s place. They’ll move into an apartment in a few days. It’ll probably be three or four months before they can move back home.
They seem to be doing remarkably well. Cheryl feels the loss of Ben’s baby pictures and other scrapbooks, but for the most part they acknowledge that it could have been so much worse—like many others experienced in the tornadoes and floods last week.
One resource that the Matthews have benefited from is their abundance of friends. They are immersed in Christian community. They have been prayed for, housed, fed and generally loved on by those with whom they have served and worshiped for many years. In a sense, their investment in the lives of others is paying off in very practical ways now in their time of need.
It occurred to me that this would be a good advertisement for community. In community joys are multiplied and sorrows divided. That’s the kind of math I want working in my life.
Eccl 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
They spent a couple of days in a hotel and have now moved into the second story of Rick & Belinda Carpenter’s place. They’ll move into an apartment in a few days. It’ll probably be three or four months before they can move back home.
They seem to be doing remarkably well. Cheryl feels the loss of Ben’s baby pictures and other scrapbooks, but for the most part they acknowledge that it could have been so much worse—like many others experienced in the tornadoes and floods last week.
One resource that the Matthews have benefited from is their abundance of friends. They are immersed in Christian community. They have been prayed for, housed, fed and generally loved on by those with whom they have served and worshiped for many years. In a sense, their investment in the lives of others is paying off in very practical ways now in their time of need.
It occurred to me that this would be a good advertisement for community. In community joys are multiplied and sorrows divided. That’s the kind of math I want working in my life.
Eccl 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Brian
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