Storms, and Flooding Last Night

The State of Missouri,  Southwest Missouri for my part was inundated with wind, storms, and lots of rain.  There was flooding in Cassville, and I heard reports of Roaring River State Park evacuating campers,  and rightly so.

Flat Creek which is on the edge of our back yard anyway is up into a part of the yard.  I will share with you a couple of pictures I took a few minutes ago.

Just for your assurances; it is several feet from our residence, so we are not concerned with flooding of our home.

This morning as I considered the night I thought of Nahum the prophet chapter 1 verse 3.  He is in charge.

That is the way it is today on the banks of Flat Creek,

~tim

April’s Showers and May Flowers

We have been getting bunches of rain around here.  It is good to get, and I am sure ruins the plans of human ideas.  Let us be real though.  Without rain we perish.

Inches and inches of rain has fallen.  Flat Creek, out our back door is rising from last nights rainfall, and there is more on the way.  The creek is barely out of the banks.

I went down to look at an hour or so ago, and it is barely in the lowest spot which use to be part of our yard.  After the flooding of December 2015, I do not treat as part of the yard any longer.

April is almost over.  The many showers of April have fallen giving rise to hope which will bring prosperity for the ground, cattle, gardens, crops and life.  May flowers is the promise of beauty, peace, and prosperity.

Is it not wonderful how our Lord and God has blessed us with beauty and hope.  Have a great day ending April.  Be blessed in the month of May.

From the banks of a roaring Flat Creek.  The picture above is when the Creek is flowing peacefully.

~tim

Flat Creek Has Been Rolling Heavy

We have received 9 – 10 inches of rain from Saturday night through Monday evening.  At last look at my bucket it had about 9 inches in it and we received a bit more after that.

I am including some pictures.  The Creek has gotten as high as I ever remember, and it got higher than any of the past five years we have lived here for sure.

These pictures are in our backyard.

 

The following pictures are down stream at our swimming area, and called the Whirlhole, and the road down to the hole.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” Proverbs 21:1

That is how it is on the banks of Flat Creek.

-tim

Dorothy Doesn’t Live in Kansas Anymore

In the film the Wizard of Oz Dorothy and her puppy are swept away by a tornado in an altogether house, and kept safe as they journey on the “yellow brick road”.

There have been many storms across this country of ours.  Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, with flooding causing devastation in many places; and tornadoes doing even more damage.  That is why the title.

There has not been much safety in the tornadoes of late.  People have died.  People are lost, and are not found, or found dead.  We may not like that word d-e-a-d, but that is an honest to goodness word.  People die in these things.  Maybe someone would like hearing the term “Cessation of life”.  Is that better.  They are still d-e-a-d.

Dorothy is not in Kansas anymore could not be any more true.  There are Dorothy’s, Tom’s, Tim’s, Tammy’s, Jane’s, Joyce’s , Joe’s and James’ who have experienced the damage of Joplin, Missouri last evening.  Our son and his wife were involved in the tornado which practically leveled Joplin.

They heard the sirens, James sent Amber to the bathroom, he went and got their “boys” Skillet, Pillar, and a guest; and by the time they joined Amber debris followed James into the bathroom.  When the tornado was over they came out and found a tree in their living room, windows blown out, roof missing, and devastation all around them.  The joy of it all for all of us was they were not harmed.  No cuts, bruises, or broken bones; and they were alive.  For the work of our Lord Jesus Christ in this we thank Him and give Him praise.

To all those families who lost loved ones I am praying for you.  For all those families who have yet to find your loved ones I pray for you as well.  May God put His Almighty hand on your life and draw you nearer to Him.

As Paul wrote;  “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

Thank YOU Lord for YOUR grace and mercy.  Thank YOU for saving the lives of all that YOU have.

Have YOUR way in the storms of our lives; and  be forever glorified.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Missed the Wading This Time

We received a whole lot of rainfall this past Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. When I woke to prepare myself for the day, and to go and drive the School Bus morning run I wondered if I would be able to cross our low water bridges below our home. I waited until it was time to go to check it out, and the rain kept pouring down out of the skies.

After I had tended to my devotional reading and prayer, tended my blogs, and took my morning dose of medicine [at least some of it] I got in the car and headed down our washed out driveway to the main road. When I arrived there I could see the water was rolling quite rapidly across the bridge, and was almost whitecapping. I pulled the front of our car into the edge of it, sat there and looked at it, thought about crossing, then I decided not to attempt it. Attempting it was what I did not want to be successful at. Attempts without successful crossing happens to far too many people. One local TV station in Springfield, and one of their Meteorologist has a saying concerning water across roadways, “Turn around, don’t drown”, so that is exactly what I did.

I then, turned around and went to see how the other side looked, and it was worse. I had already called into the Bus Garage and told them I could not get out. The one mechanic at the Garage who is familiar with where I live said, “I was afraid of that”. That is the first time in almost two years we have lived here that I could not get out, when I wanted out. There has been a time or two I could not drive the car back to the house because of high water, but I could cross on foot by wading.

The water from all the rainfall we have been getting has nowhere to go now. The ground is soaked to the point of being like a sponge in some places, and you sink in the ground as you walk across it.

I don’t want anyone to take me wrong in this writing. I am not complaining about all the rain. I actually find it adventurous, and something new. I do feel for those whose homes and lives have been drastically changed because of it. I am sure they find no adventure in any of it. Many of these homes are far above flood stage, and no one ever suspected that they would ever be flooded, but now they have been. We really just never know. I do remember the rainbow.

I am thankful that I MISED THE WADING THIS TIME.

-by Tim A. Blankenship