Tears, Texas and Rain
 

So, after returning from Texas, had been hoping we had gotten rain at home in Kansas.  Nope.  It’s really dry….we could surely use some.  There had been some around, but it has been spotty.  Then we got just a bit of a shower….not enough to do any good, just enough to make the air humid.  Talking about the rain at the grocery store with the checkout lady, I commented that my grandpa used to talk about water falling out of the sky, but I had never believed him!  All of which is so I can say that it reminded me of my other favorite Texas joke.  It was about the fella from west Texas, where things are really dry, sandy and dusty.  He’d gone his whole life and never seen rain at all.  One day a huge thunderstorm blew through, and just dumped shower after driving shower.  He was so shocked, that he fainted dead away.  They said that they had to pour three buckets of sand on his head to revive him!

Well, on to more serious things.  In a town where I used to live, the churches sponsor a “dial-a-devotion” ministry, and various individuals record a morning devotion for anyone to call and hear at their convenience.  A friend of mine recorded one the other day, and used an excerpt from my book of devotions.  It was one that she, a widow, found encouraging.  The trouble is, the dial-devotion only allows about a minute, so she was able to use only a few lines.  Thought that, for those who might have heard it, since it was one she found meaningful, it might be worth posting here so that they can read the rest of it.  Who knows, maybe it will mean something to some of you as well:

 

Day 104     Psalm 147:1-6 and Revelation 21:3-5

  If you are a person struggling with your divorce, feeling pretty down and out, or brokenhearted, then there in those blues, there are special promises for you.  The one I want you to see today is that in a time of brokenness, God is nearby in a way unique to those times.  It is when we are the most weak, that we most need his strength…..and he knows that.  It is almost as if God himself knows that we need a hug.  Can you imagine him wrapping his arms around you, wiping your tears with his tender hand and offering you words of encouragement in your darkness.  Can you imagine him taking your broken heart and touching the wound with his healing hand?  There is a tenderness about God that is most experienced in times like these.  Today, I don’t want to say much to you.  Instead, I want you to take the time you would normally spend reading, and sit quietly in God’s embrace.  Weeping, praying, hurting, giving thanks….whatever is going on for you…..let his embrace touch your broken heart today.

P.S.  I have had several  newcomers asking again how to get the book…..so let me put it down again for them.  It is only available as an ebook right now from Amazon for your kindle or computer with the downloadable app.  You can search there for my name, Richard Crooks, or the title Finding God in the Seasons of Divorce.  Paper copies are expected out later this summer, followed by other ebook options.  Will post here as soon as exact dates are available.  You can email your comments or questions to me at seasonsofdivorce@gmail.com, or post here if you like.  Hope your day is filled with the nourishing showers of God’s blessings!

TL:DR  There is a unique relationship we experience with God in times of brokenness.